Ways of the Dragonborn: The Inquisitor (4)
by Samuel Keller
Summary: Sometimes, zeal and hatred is the only thing that separates the predator and the prey. And sometimes, it changes the roles completely.
1. Chapter 1

**Now this guy ain't my favorite, but he is definitely one of the most epic. So enjoy.**

"I wish this passage was not so constricting" complained Zoh-gro-Malok.

"It is a necessary hindrance brother" assured Kah-gro-Malok. "This may be a test of our commitment."

"I understand this. But I am a large person, and my shoulders scrape against these stones."

The Orc placed a hand on his brother's arm. "I feel for you."

The two Orcs were used to rather constricting tunnels anyhow. After all, they were miners for a time. Until their skill with a blade was fully embraced and they guarded the stronghold of their birth.

The two were closer than any other relationship, having complete trust in one-another and revealing any troubling matter to each other. They shared similar armor and their fighting style involved both of them fighting simultaneously.

They had only been allowed to go on this assignment because no one was alive to disapprove it. One night, the stronghold burst into flames, carrying the leader and most of the its residents with it. Only a handful survived it, and they agreed it would be a wiser move to go their separate ways.

So the two had decided joining the Dawnguard was a good choice. They were into dangerous work, and they had a fleeting suspicion it was vampires who had burned down their home.

"I cannot wait to have one of those bloodsuckers in my hands" admitted Kah unconsciously fingering his long battleax. "I'll give him a funeral three days early."

"Mine will be four" countered Zoh. "My sword will claim all of his fellows as well."

"We split it halfways."

"Agreed. But I will still kill quicker."

"With your weak arms? I doubt it."

"And you think you will do more Kah? With your feeble legs? You couldn't even keep up with my pace on the way here."

"Dirt-eater!" yelled Kah.

"Milk drinker!" countered Zoh.

This sort of rivalry had been going on since birth. Originally it was to gain favor with their father, then it switched to their own pride. It showed no signs of waning.

They exited the cave and came to a tall valley with them in the center.

"Do you think they would attempt an ambush?" asked Kah.

"Doubtful. We are trying to join them, so they probably don't just kill anyone on sight."

"Unless they think we're vampires of course."

"Then it's a good thing we aren't vampires isn't it?"

They had heard of the Dawnguard from a messenger who had arrived at their stronghold. Due to the fact he had a letter of brotherhood, he was allowed inside.

He explained how his organization was involved completely in hunting vampires and ridding them from the earth. He stated that his organization could use some powerful Orcs to reinforce their ranks. At the time, their chief and father disapproved of his offer, but due to his brotherhood, let him leave in peace.

Now their father was dead, and he had no authority over them. They were rogue Orcs, with no home and no leadership. They loved it to death.

"I wonder how large this Fort Dawnguard is" wondered Zoh. "I hope it is not too constricting."

"Same as I. I despised the mines. I always knew that tight walls and tunnel air was not for me. I see a castle as the same thing."

They reached a small lake and Kah knelt at the edge. "Let me get a drink."

"Isn't your canteen full?"

"No. That is why I am getting a drink maggot-brain."

"Smart ass."

While his brother refreshed his thirst, Zoh looked at the environment around him. There didn't seem to be any of sentries around here, or they were better at stealth then he imagined. Then he noticed something.

He sniffed the air. Something smelled off in the wind. It smelled like dust.

He kept sniffing, trying to determine its origin. It appeared to be coming from where they had come from.

Kah looked over at his brother and noticed the sniffing. "What is it? What do you smell?"

Zoh gave one final breath. "Vampire."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

Kah drew his battleax and assumed a defensive stance. "We must be ready. This is one helluva way to get initiated."

Zoh smiled and drew his long sword. "I agree."

They saw something flash to a nearby tree, something fast. It was black and appeared to be shapeless.

"One up ahead" noted the swordsman.

"Aye."

Then a large spray of blood flashed from the tree and the body dropped from behind it.

"What the hell?"

Someone ran at them, his axe covered in blood. His blond hair was messy and he was now bloody, but he looked like a Nord.

"You guys sentries for the fort?" he asked stowing his axe.

"No. We're trying to get in."

"Oh. Cool. Well, I think we're currently getting attacked. So yeah."

Zoh pushed him aside. Being friendly was not one of his priorities. "Let the real fighters take care of this boy."

"But I want to…"

"Just shut it" ordered Kah. "Me and him are the best damn fighters in all of Skyrim. You'll just get yourself killed."

The Nord nodded unhappily. "OK then."

Kah looked at him sympathetically. "Tell ya what. I'll give you some training after this. Teach you how to fight like something vampires will fear."

The boy looked up at him hopefully. "Really?"

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Agmaer sir."

"Don't call me sir. I'm just Kah."

"Of course."

The axman turned to his brother. "Let's get this going."

They walked towards the source of the smell, weapons ready.

"You should not encourage him" stated Zoh. "Once a weakling, always a weakling."

"He is merely a child. He has the age of a man, but the skills of a child. It is not his fault for this."

"He does not have the spirit. He practically licked your boots."

"He is being respectful. A wise decision."

Zoh shook his head. "You are too sympathetic brother. Some people are just weak. That is the way things work in this world."

"And I still believe you are wrong."

They heard something and raised their weapons.

"We'll talk later" said Kah,

"Agreed."

Something sprinted towards them, a grey robe cast over its frame. It moved insanely fast and carried a black sword in one hand.

Zoh swung and it easily ducked under it, sliding as it did so. Kah did a massive undercut and just missed it.

The vampire stood, them between him and the tunnel. "Two Orcs? Isran is stepping up his game."

"I do not know of an Isran" stated Kah. "But I do know what a dead vampire is. And you have it written all over you."

"Clever boy. But not enough."

The vampire leaped at them, his teeth flashing in the sun. He twirled on his feet, swinging the blade like a stick. Kah blocked the barrage of strikes and smashed the flat edge of his axe into him. With this, Zoh stepped in the negative space and ran his sword clean through him.

The vampire slumped and Zoh kicked the vampire off his blade. "Scum" he muttered flicking off the blood.

Kah turned around and saw that there were more of them. At least ten in number.

"Goddamn it" he muttered raising his axe.

"My day just got better" murmured Zoh.

**Heh heh, two brother Orcs. Cool ones too. Please note that it isn't like the Argonian and his buddy. These are serious motherfuckers.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Now an important note: these guys aren't going to be run of the mill. They...well...are badasses. What that means will be revealed later.**

Isran looked at the two Orcs in front of him, standing resolute and confident. They had apparently been found outside with a bunch of dead vampires. Supposedly, they had been lying in a pile of corpses, laughing.

It didn't seem like they were capable of laughter. They both looked dead serious standing in front of him.

He strode in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. Along with his Dawnguard armor, he had a huge dragon bone war hammer on his back. It had claimed the lives of many vampires and their minions. He was damn proud to wield such a badass weapon.

"So you two out-right murdered a dozen vampires, outside of MY fort, and ask my men why THEY are interrupting YOU?"

They nodded sternly. Internally, they were suspecting that they were going to be banished from the grounds.

Isran looked at them directly, then broke into a grin. "And I didn't even have to pay you."

The two shared a look of confusion until the Redguard laughed and clasped his hands on their shoulders. "I'm just messing with you guys! Killing vampires, ANYWHERE, is okay by me."

He looked at them. "Well, I think we could use people like you. Guys who are willing to enter the fray with a smile and then walk out with a shit-eating grin. I respect that. It reminds me of myself in my later years."

He rubbed the back of his head. "While you killed a dozen vampires by you two selves, an impressive feat mind you, I don't know if you have the commitment. Not to mention the intelligence."

He murmured to himself for a few moments. "OK, I got an idea. How about you perform a favor for my friend Sorine. She could use someone to retrieve something for her."

Zoh unconsciously groaned. Isran looked at him and asked, "Is there a problem? Do you somehow have an ex-girlfriend named Sorine?"

The Orc naturally straightened. "Apologies sir. It is just that I despise doing simple retrieval missions. They are boring, repetitive, and don't involve much action. But if this is how I get in this, I will do so. "

Isran smiled. "Believe me, if Sorine is involved, it will be eventful."

He cupped his hands and yelled, "Sorine! I need you here!"

"Talos damn you what is it!?" yelled a fiery woman storming into the room. She wore typical Dawnguard armor that hugged her frame rather provocatively.

"I got some men here who could retrieve that artifact thing you needed" stated the Redguard looking at them.

"Oh, good. I was growing tired of waiting for you to find someone."

She walked over to them and stared deep into Kah's eyes. He didn't so much as blink.

She calmly braced her arm and gripped his genitalia.

"What the fuck?!" he yelled stepping backwards.

"Hmm, yes" noted the Nord taking her hand from his private regions.

"Are you gonna explain why the fuck you did that?" asked Kah.

"Sure. Just making sure you didn't had a weapon."

"I'm carrying a battleax and its right here!"

"Well whatever!"

She turned to Zoh, who instinctively covered his manhood. "I ain't having no creepy woman feel around my balls like a bag of beans."

"Fair enough."

She looked at both of them and said, "I will be frank with you gentlemen. This quest I will send you on is dangerous. It involves explosions, sword-fighting, and flame-throwing. There will be sharp blades aimed at your face, there will be people trying to kill you, and chances are one of you will probably die."

"Where are we going?" asked both of them at the same time.

Sorine smiled widely. "OK, I might just grip your genitals again big guy."

He nervously took a step backwards and she laughed. "Just messing with you. Now you'll have to come into my lab to get more."

"OK Sorine, I think he got the message" stated Isran slightly nervous. "Let's just get to the destination part of the intel."

"Oh, of course boner-killer. It's in a place called Rothbaldor. A Dwemer ruin."

Zoh smiled and nodded. "Yes. That will do nicely."

"Well I'm glad to see your brother is so excited. So why aren't you?" she turned to Kah.

"Ugh…"

"No matter! Rothbaldor is near Riverwood and Falkreach. Go get my stuff!"

Then she stormed from the room.

"Ugh, what does her stuff look like?" asked Kah making sure she was no longer in the room.

"Well, it sort of looks like a blueprint for a crossbow. And because it's Dwemer, chances are it looks like a metal scroll of some kind."

"Simple enough" muttered the elder Orc. He turned to his brother. "Let's get going."

Zoh nodded. "Good. I needed something to do anyway."

**Heh heh. Sorine, how I love writing her freaky shit.**


	3. Chapter 3

**To Cyrus: I promise to add some awesome epic scenes to entertain the masses (I like them myself). Now their names were a mistake I made in beta. Not too biggy. Just a few letters. **

The two brother Orcs walked down the path, both completely parallel to one another. Since they towered at about six feet, it was similar to a moving wall across the road.

"Wonder what will be inside this Dwemer ruin?" spoke Zoh looking into the sky.

"Perhaps some Falmer if we are unlucky. I despise the little bastards" muttered Kah.

"Agreed brother."

They reached Riverwood and noted their surroundings. The local blacksmith was slaving away at a hot forge while his wife was cooking supper. A Bosmer hunter was dragging in a large moose that had about three arrows in it, a sign of a good shot. Finally, a lot of dust piles were strewn across the ground.

Kah looked at a guard near him and inquired, "What happened here?"

The guard looked at him like he was stupid. "You kidding me? We were attacked by vampires last night. Ten of those bastards, with Death Hounds to sport."

"Damn. Any clue where they came from?"

The guard shook his head. "Not one. Unless you guys are psychics or something, you might as well keep on keeping on."

Zoh snarled. "Fine then. We didn't want to help you anyway."

The guard shrugged. "Whatever man."

The two Orcs kept moving and got to the edge of town.

"So, any clues to where this ruin is?" asked Kah.

"Not one. Wait!"

Zoh placed a hand on his forehead and pointed his left arm in the general direction of Falkreach.

"It's somewhere in that direction!" he said waving it wildly around.

Kah smacked him upside the head. "Shut up and help me look."

They began walking fairly fast, trying to determine where Rothbaldor was. It didn't seem to be anywhere in the visible spectrum.

"Uh, you sure she said near Falkreach?" wondered Zoh.

"Pretty sure" replied Kah.

The elder Orc tripped on something and collapsed to the ground. "Damn it" he murmured into the dirt.

He stood up and looked up at the stuff behind him. As it turned out, it was some sort of hatch.

"I think I found it" said Kah.

"I guess you did. You always tended to stumble on the right things."

The elder Orc sighed. "Just shut up and try to open it."

Zoh grabbed the handle and twisted it violently. It opened with a screech and he peered into the darkness.

"Ugh, smells like feces" commented Kah.

"Good thing too. It'll at least smell better then you."

The elder smacked the younger. "Get your ass into the hole."

Zoh jumped down and landed in a crouch. He pulled out a torch from his knapsack and lit it with a Flames spell.

The room he was in was apparently a hallway. To his back was only rubble, but towards his front was open air.

"Toss me a ladder" spoke Zoh gesturing to his brother.

Kah unwrapped a coil of ladder and spiked it into the ground. Tossing it into the hole, it formed a hanging ladder back to the surface.

The elder Orc jumped down to join his brother and looked around.

"Well I think we only have one option" muttered Kah.

"Ya, I think so."

They began walking down the hallway, noting the sorry state the entire thing was in. It looked like the Dwemer tunnel had been through an earthquake.

They reached the end of the tunnel and finally came into a new room. It appeared to be some kind of small study. It had a single table in the front that had one thing on it. This thing was some sort of metal scroll that was set vertically on the table. Other than that, it was completely clear.

"Well this might be easier than I thought" muttered Kah. "Sad, I was hoping for something more."

He shrugged and grabbed the scroll. Unraveling it, he saw that it was indeed a blueprint to a crossbow.

"Awesome" noted Zoh.

"Indeed. Let's get going."

They began to walk back to the ladder, Zoh carrying the scroll in his backpack.

They reached the ladder and Kah looked at his younger brother. "This is kinda suckish. I thought we might have…"

They stopped and looked at their feet. The ladder was lying in a pile at their feet. Which meant that it was no longer attacked to the surface.

The hatch above them closed and Kah sighed. "Why did I know this was going to happen?"

"Because bad shit always happens to us?"

"Bingo."

They heard some echoing noises from where they came from and immediately drew their weapons.

"This will be fun" muttered both of them.

A swarm of vampires came through the door to the study. There was at least twelve that was coming towards them, weapons raised high.

"Bring it you sons of bitches!" yelled Kah.

They swung wildly, catching various necks along the way. Blood spew through the air and trailed itself on the walls.

One managed to hit Zoh in the arm with a mace and fracture it. He snarled and grabbed it by the head. Smashing it repeatedly into the wall, he tossed it aside.

Snagging a bottle of healing, he gulped it as fast as he could.

The arm snapped back into its original state and he sighed. Good as new.

Kah looked back at him and said, "If you're done repairing your arm, can you please get moving?"

"Fine."

They began to plow through the crowd, killing vampires like they were crops on a field. It didn't take much effort, with both of them watching over each other.

Suddenly someone appeared in front of them, a large man. He wore a short beige shirt with bandages all along the upper part of his torso, including his head. He looked at them and raised a hand.

"Spread thy pestilence" he ordered flexing his fingers.

From underneath his shirt burst swarms of locusts, each a bright, green color. They overwhelmed the other vampires still alive and began to eat their flesh.

"Move!" ordered Kah.

They both jumped backwards and prepped spells.

Flaring their hands, they released a massive storm of fire balls at the locusts. Due to the large size of the fireballs and the small size of the locusts, it wasn't exactly a fair fight.

The owner of the locusts looked at them and revealed his right eye. It was a solid yellow, like a lemon or a panther eye.

"Impressive."

He stretched out his hand and the rubble behind them exploded violently. Instead of hurting them, it merely unveiled an extension of the tunnel.

"Let's continue the game" taunted the locust master twirling rapidly. He vanished in a storm of dust and swirled past them.

"I don't think we have a choice" murmured Kah.

"Yeah" agreed Zoh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Now if you're questioning why the Dwemer ruin is devoid of Falmer/Dwarven devices, the reason is simple: This is a Dawnguard story. It involves vampires almost exclusively. Don't worry too much. It'll all be worth it.**

The two brothers walked quickly down the tunnel, trying to guess when something was going to leap out at them. So far, nothing had decided to show its face.

"This is too weird" muttered Kah. "These things must be planning something."

"I agree."

They rounded a corner and came into a large atrium-like room. In truth, it was more like the remnants of a room. It appeared that it had collapsed nearly completely and sunk into a cavern below. The part they were on was nearly twice as high as the other platforms of room-rubble.

"Wow. This is cool."

They saw that someone had erected simple rope bridges between all the chunks of floor, connecting them in a simple pattern.

"Let's go" ordered Kah.

They quickly dashed across a bridge and gazed around them. It appeared that no one had ever used the bridges, like they were fresh.

"What in Oblivion is this guy playing?" wondered Zoh.

"Maybe we'll find out when we're beating in his face."

They stopped when they heard something. They looked around inside the room/cavern and saw something moving in the distance.

"Holy shit. Those aren't locust" noted Kah.

The swarm of things landed and instantly shifted into their natural shapes. It was originally a crowd of bats, but quickly changed into a crowd of vampires.

Zoh swung his broadsword and nicked one in the neck. Continuing his momentum, he bifurcated another and resumed his battle stance.

Kah leaped around him and swung low with his battleax. Hitting one in the knees, he stomped out its head while swinging in an opposite direction.

The younger Orc resumed his fight and stabbed vampire in the chest. Roaring, he sprinted forward and impaled a second with his sword at the same time.

Yelling even louder, he raised his sword up and slammed it into a third vampire, pinning them into all into the ground.

"Hey! I made a vamp-kabob!" joked Zoh.

Kah laughed and kept fighting.

When the vampires had stopped fighting and began bleeding on the floor, the two brothers continued their journey. Since they had nowhere else to go, they had to go forward.

"You ever seen a vampire shoot freaking locust?" asked Zoh.

"Never even heard of that. Must be a new strand" replied Kah.

They finally made it to the end of the room, and saw that there was another tunnel to go through. This one had torches, well, sorta torches. They were Falmer bodies that had been nailed to the walls and set on fire.

"Well this is gruesome" muttered Kah.

"But strangely appropriate" admitted Zoh.

They continued along their path, letting the flaming bodies guide them. It made this odd orange/yellow light that seemed unnatural. Not to mention they smelled like shit.

"What in Oblivion do these things eat?" complained the elder Orc waving his hand in front of his nose.

"Obviously something shitty" commented the younger.

They reached the end of the tunnel and came to a large room. While not an atrium-size room, it was fairly big. At the end of the room was a throne. This one was made of Dwemer metal and shaped in simple square edges and straight lines. The only other thing in the room were pillars made of metal that went from floor to ceiling.

Sitting in the throne was the bandaged man from before. Now they finally got a better look at him.

He appeared thin, like he hadn't eaten in days. The bandages were aged grey and stained brown. He was bare from the waist up, leaving only the bandages atop his shoulders cover him. His pants were torn and stained with dirt.

"Ah, it is good that you are here" stated the man looking down at them. "It would seem that you are willing to play."

"Not much of a choice" murmured Kah.

The man stood up and spread his arms. "Not my fault. It wasn't my idea. But now I think we should get this started."

Suddenly he exploded into a mass of locusts. They swarmed through the air and began spiraling along the pillars.

"Keep track of it!" ordered Kah.

"I know that!" yelled Zoh.

The swarm went towards them and a fist appeared in the crowd.

It nailed Zoh straight in the face and knocked him clean off his feet. He rolled on the ground and the fist grabbed his leg.

It tossed him effortlessly and he slammed into a pillar. Panting, he looked up in time to see a knee to accompany the fist.

It crushed his nose and dazed him into another world. He fell against the pillar, his eyes losing their seeing properties.

Kah roared and swung his axe into the swarm. It dissipated and began moving across the room again.

The elder grabbed his younger and helped him to his feet. "Come on! Attack the swarm directly!"

They prepared their Flames spells and torched the swarm. It screamed in agony and the vampire fell out of it.

He landed and rolled, his appearance solidifying as he did so. He finally got back together and leaped at them. He had two long daggers in his hands and showed no reluctance towards them.

They swung back, but he dodged through both of them. Slashing into Kah's arm, he kicked out his knee and back-handed him across the face.

Zoh attempted to decapitate him, but the vampire rolled underneath the blade. Raising his daggers, he plunged them into the younger Orc's chest.

He screamed in pain and collapsed. The vampire leaped back and pulled out two more daggers.

"Come on. That's all you idiots got? Sad."

Then he disappeared back into a swarm of locust.

Kah stood unsteadily, his knee giving him trouble, but not that much. He observed the swarm of locust and noted the shapes he saw inside of it. He raised his battleax and began timing.

The swarm approached him and he swung in the upper middle of the swarm. He hit something solid and he kept moving, taking a full step into his swing.

The vampire landed hard on the ground, his momentum stopped dead from the axe.

He gasped, looking at the hole in his stomach. They had almost chopped him in half, but he was still alive. He looked up and gazed at something that wasn't there, judging by his glazed look.

Kah stood above him and put the axe to his neck. "Any last words scum?"

"Forgive me Lord Harkon" whispered the vampire. "I have failed you."

Kah looked at him confused, but the vampire closed his eyes and relaxed. Then something happened.

He began to bleed a vile purple liquid from his frame, similar to blood. It leaked from his eyes and mouth and nose, forming a pool underneath him.

"Holy…" began the elder Orc.

Then the vampire began to melt, like he was ice on a hot summer day. Pretty soon he was just a puddle of the vile purple liquid.

"That was disgusting" noted Kah.

He looked over at his brother and pulled out a healing potion. He began to slowly feed it to his brother, letting Zoh take his own sips.

"Just relax. It isn't fatal" he assured his brother.

"Yeah, but it hurts like a bitch" muttered the younger.

Kah narrowed his eyes and pulled out both of the daggers at the same time. Zoh yelled in pain and collapsed on the stone.

"Motherfucker" gasped the younger Orc.

"Ah, don't let it get to you" replied Kah pulling out another healing potion.

**Tough brotherly love. How appropriate for Orcs.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oddly enough I don't have a note for you all. Hmm, this is rather pleasant. Ah well, please continue your literary adventure into my story.**

The two Orcs walked into Fort Dawnguard, with the style of champions. They looked like conquering heroes who returned home. Technically, that wasn't too inaccurate.

Isran was currently in the foyer, moving a set of boxes. He looked up and smiled. "Well I knew I'd be seeing you two punks sooner or later. Got the scroll?"

Zoh unzipped his pack and extracted the blueprints. "Right here."

"Good. Sorine! They're back!"

"Finally!" replied the woman power-walking into the room. She stopped and smiled at Zoh. "Ah, got my stuff have you handsome? Trying to take your brother's spot under my limelight?"

The younger Orc extended the scroll. "Just take the scroll."

"Fine by me. I like hard-to-get" she stated placing a hand on the blueprints. She looked him in the eyes and began to run her hands up and down the scroll.

"Ya like that?" she asked seductively.

Isran, along with every other male in the room, was getting fairly uncomfortable. "Uh, that's enough Sorine. I got things for them to do."

She stopped her rubbing and grasped the scroll. "OK then."

Sorine took it and offered a grin. "Come back to my quarters for the rest of the show."

She left the room and Zoh looked at Isran. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. She's into…_exotic_ men."

Kah raised an eyebrow. "Orsimer is kinda pushing it though. Especially for a pretty woman."

The Redguard nodded. "Yeah, agreed."

He shook his head. "Anyway, I got something for ya."

He opened the box he was carrying and pulled out a pair of chain mail vests. They were stained brown and had several pieces of hard leather on them.

"Your armor. I think it's more than adequate compared to the shit you are wearing" noted Isran.

The Orcs looked at themselves. While their weapons were fine Orcish weapons, their armor was simple leather. It barely did anything, as evidenced by Zoh getting stabbed in the chest.

"This is cool" muttered Kah admiring the vest.

"Just make sure you keep it clean" instructed Isran. "That shit starts to reek if you don't wash it."

Zoh nodded. "Of course. Now what about our induction?"

"What? Oh sure."

The Redguard coughed and said, "May you, uh, kill a shit ton of vampires and look awesome doing it."

"That's it?" asked/complained Kah. He was expecting more.

"Well we aren't exactly a veteran order. We have barely been together for a month."

The two Orcs shrugged.

"Fine then" said Zoh. "So where do we sleep?"

"Up the stairs, the big room with all the beds. Just pick one and toss your helmet at the feet."

"Seems sensible" commented Kah. "We need to get some shut-eye anyway."

Zoh unconsciously rubbed his chest. "Yeah. My wounds are still sore."

The elder slapped him in the pectoral. "Suck it up."

They began walking and Isran sighed. "Damn Orcs."

Someone tapped Isran in the shoulder and said, "Isran, I need to talk to you."

Isran smiled and turned towards the person. "What did Arkay tell you today?' he joked lightly.

Florentius Baenius wasn't too insulted by the Redguard's teasing. He was wearing his Dawnguard armor along with his signature necklace of Arkay. He seemed like a normal Imperial guy, except for the odd look his eyes seemed to have.

"You may scoff at me for my claims, but that is irrelevant. What is relevant is my information. And this information is written on paper."

Isran nodded. "Fine then. Let's go to the planning room."

The 'planning room' was actually the mine inside the castle. It consisted of a single table and a map of Skyrim. Not to mention a few pieces of paper scattered across the table. It wasn't used too much, since it was rather hard to find.

"So what is this information?" asked Isran sitting down.

Florentius pulled out a wad of paper and tossed it down. "This" he noted pointing to it.

The Redguard picked it up and undid the twine holding it together. Rolling it out, he read the first page. It appeared to be a diary.

"Day 1, we have made much progress in researching the vampire scum. It appears that they are prone to genocidal actions when in contact with mortals, as we already knew. However, they also demonstrate such actions towards other vampires. They appear to exhibit clique-like behavior towards others, forming 'vampire clans' of sorts."

He stopped and read the name at the very bottom.

"This was the final documents of a Vigilant of Stendarr" he said slightly shocked. "Someone named Vigilant Darien."

Florentius nodded.

"It probably wasn't that easy to get them to give this up."

"Keep reading."

Isran looked at a later letter and came to an interesting one.

"Day 47, we finally have some solid information on the vampire lords, the heads of the vampire clans. It appears that they exhibit several unique properties that we had no idea they possessed. For one, they have the ability to control locust swarms, something that is highly effective against humans. We believe that they nest inside the host's body for a hive, but it is currently unknown how. One interesting note is that vampire lords exhibit powers of hypnosis; sometimes so powerful even us Vigilantes can't fight it. Ways to counter this are still in the research phase."

He flipped to another.

"Day 92, more information has come around about the vampire lords who have evaded us for so long. It appears that they are something called 'pure-bloods'. Whatever this term means or where it originates from it uncertain to us. One thing we have found is that they are capable of massive transformations. They shift into a more animal-like state with wings and claws. Their skin turns hard as marble and they gain several powers. This includes the ability to absorb life force from any creature and summoning gargoyles. We are not sure how vulnerable they are in this form, since everyone we fought has either killed everyone it has contacted or fled when damaged.

Isran was starting to get interested. He decided to skip to the final page.

"Day 172, we withstood a massive attack on our camp today. Nearly seventy-five percent of us are dead. In a matter of hours we will leave and return to the Hall. Personally, I couldn't be happier. The vampires are more powerful than we can imagine. The vampire lords themselves are like gods walking on this earth, destroying everything in their path. We did manage to kill one though. We used a decoy building and detonated the entire thing. It worked, but we had to stab it directly in the head to keep it from thrashing. It…"

Isran turned the page and saw that it was stained multiple times with blood. The script was very erratic and chaotic.

"They…ate my hands in front of me. I…I don't know what to do. The others…the others died. They're…being eaten right now. I am…I am probably next. I guess…it doesn't matter. Divines, please take me now."

Isran put down the letters. "So you're telling me the vampires were able to kill an entire camp of Vigilantes?"

Florentius nodded. "I hate to say so, but yes."

The priest actually had a few tears in his eyes. He wiped them away quickly. "I hope Arkay was merciful and took that man."

The Redguard nodded reverently. While not a religious man, he was fully aware of the gods and their sway over the mortal world.

"This is unfortunate. The information on the vampire lords is definitely useful. But I think we may have to do some offense against these vermin."

The priest nodded. "Agreed. I am tired of keeping one eye open against them. With Arkay at my side, I will bring them down."

Isran smiled. "Good. Now, let's see what we can do to strike back."

**Isran is so entertaining to right. He's like a gung-ho general at times. Still a dick though, but cool.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Now these guys are going to get even more interesting. Like demigod amazing.**

"Keep your damn hands up boy!" yelled Kah smoking his pipe. "Don't let them take the offensive!"

The young Nord named Agmaer nodded and adjusted his hands. Twirling his body, he smashed his axe into the side of the dummy's helmet.

"Solid contact! Now try that while spinning counter-clockwise!"

The Orc had fulfilled his promise and was giving the boy a lesson in fighting. While the Nord was indeed tough enough (working on a farm contributed to this) he didn't possess any major combat skills. So Kah skipped straight to fighting vampires.

The practice court they were in was designed for simulating a vampire attack. The dummies were fully capable of movement (with a few levers and pulleys of course) and could be set to twenty different configurations. The idea was to show how chaotic a crowd of vampires could be, since that's what most come in.

"Nice job boy! Make sure to move your feet!"

Agmaer wasn't doing so bad actually. Ten different times and he only got hit three times. He was fairly nimble, something that Kah noted with delight. A solo fighter who was nimble was far better than one who stood square on the ground.

Zoh plopped down next to his brother and handed him a tankard of mead. "I figured you'd want one. Considering the fact that this kid is probably driving you nuts."

Kah shook his head. "He's actually quite good. We might be able to make something out of him."

The younger looked at him in confusion. "We?"

The elder rolled his eyes. "Right. You still don't believe in him."

"I only believe in three things: Lord Malacath, myself, and the brother at my side."

He turned to Kah. "This boy isn't one of those three."

The elder Orc nodded. "Agreed. But to abandon hope on anyone is something that should never happen. I think this boy could be valuable, maybe not to us, but to somebody."

Zoh noted the erratic style that Agmaer was swinging his axe. It appeared unprofessional at best, damn near amateur at worst.

"Well I hope that somebody doesn't expect protection" muttered the younger noticing the Nord get smashed in the head with a rudimentary mace.

"Don't worry about it! Just get back on your feet and I'll reset it!" yelled Kah walking over to the controls.

Isran sat down beside Zoh, who was enjoying his bottle of mead.

"Your brother is helping out the new kid?" asked the Redguard.

"I thought we were the new kids?" countered the younger Orc.

"Naw, you are men now. This guy though."

Isran shook his head. "What a waste. I hope your brother is as good at teaching as he is at killing vampires, or we'll have to reject him."

"He's a weakling. Plain and simple" stated Zoh.

"Would you stop criticizing him?" spat Kah walking back to his brother. "This boy has potential. Whether or not you refuse to see it is your problem, not mine. So what if I choose to help someone who gives nothing back but thanks? That is what I like to do. And if you don't like it, then you can just walk your ass back to your bunk and shut up."

Zoh stood, reaching an equal height with his brother. His eyes were full of anger, and he looked ready to snap. He glared into Kah's eyes, with all his hatred.

"Fine" he spoke through gritted teeth. "I'll just get out of the way of your stupid little training session. And while you're at it, maybe you can teach this boy to eat with a fork, or tie his own boots?"

Both of them reacted at the same time. They brought their left fist up and threw it at the other.

Both of them caught the respective other's fist, keeping eye contact the entire time.

Zoh stopped and looked at his brother's arm. It had the symbol of their birth month on it, something their father had given to them. He had the same one on his arm.

Kah noted this as well. He looked at his brother and let his fist go.

"I'm sorry" stated Zoh keeping eye contact.

"I am as well" replied Kah.

They raised their arms, not in an offensive way this time, and smacked the tattoos together. It was an ancient tradition used to represent brotherhood, to share the same mark was holy. Only brothers who emerged from combat or the womb together could bear it.

"While I appreciate the touchy-feely crap that just went down, I got something for you two" said Isran looking at them.

"What is it?" inquired Kah.

"Well, we got some bad news. The Hall of the Vigilant was recently attacked. No, not attacked. Burned to the fucking ground is the better word."

"Who did this?" spat Zoh.

"Who else? Vampires. We just got this news an hour ago. We need you two to go there. There's precious documents inside there that are crucial to our war effort."

He pulled out a small key. It was simple, with only one notch on it at the very end.

"This is a key they use to open the vault. It contains a library they use for documenting Daedra, vampires, and all sorts of shit that they hunt. I need you to get there and take as much as you can. No doubt someone's got the same idea, since some of that stuff is insane."

Kah nodded. "Of course. Now where is that Hall?"

"Ah, simple enough. South of Dawnstar, near the large mountain. It isn't that hard to miss really. Just follow the bodies."

The elder Orc grabbed the key and slid it into his pocket. "We'll leave immediately."

"Good. And I got something for you too."

He lifted something from his backpack. They were two strange devices that they hadn't seen that much of.

"Crossbows" he explained calmly. "Extremely useful for hunting vampires. Accurate, fast, silent, and…"

He lifted both of them and aimed. "Completely versatile. I could hit a vampire at fifty yards with both of these in my hands."

Zoh took his and aimed down the sights. "Nice."

Kah smiled. "I like it."

"Good. Thanks to that blueprint you all got, Sorine was able to make it special. Dwarven style, and it is the most accurate thing under the sun. Have fun using them."

"Oh I well" muttered Zoh lifting his. "Killing things makes me happy."

**I love crossbows, in and out of Skyrim. I want to buy a freaking crossbow. However, it requires special licenses and money. It's mainly the BS where people think I'm a terrorist.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Now, let's get psycho with these guys.**

The two Orc brothers marched down the road, carrying their latest toys. They didn't let go of them the entire time since they had left Fort Dawnguard, or stopped at the inn, or even eaten their meals. Not to mention the time Kah took it to the latrine and nearly shot himself in the ass.

They finally saw their first body a little bit later. It was a Vigilant with an arrow in the back of his head. It looked like he had been set on fire and left to rot.

"Damn" muttered Kah. "That's just wrong."

Later down the road they saw that the vampires had made displays for their kills. They had been spiked to wooden posts and made into different positions. Usually the words Prey or Weakling was painted on their chests. If their chest was still intact.

"Those dishonorable maggots" growled Zoh. "I will kill all of them. And make trophies of them."

Kah nodded. He had the same resolve in his heart as well.

They swerved off the road, using the dead corpses as guides. As demented as that was, it made a very effective trail. They never were too far from another corpse.

They finally saw that something else was going on. The closer they got to the Hall, the more brutal the killings got. They found some where the corpse was just in pieces, like it had been sawed apart. One of them literally was painted onto a giant wooden sign, with his skull shoved into the wood.

"How the hell did they do this?" asked Kah examining the painted Vigilant. "They liquefied this guy."

"It does not matter. We will kill them just the same" replied Zoh.

When they reached the Hall, they noticed something extremely wrong. The vampires had painted words on the walls with blood, usually Daedric symbols.

"Worship" stated Kah studying the symbols. "These are praises."

"Do they worship through slaughter?" asked Zoh.

"Possibly."

They finally saw their first vampire when they turned a corner. It was with a few friends, and they were eating.

Kah scowled. "I'll take the two on the right."

"The two on the left are mine then."

They crouched down and aimed their crossbows. Pulling the triggers, they killed two vampires within a second of each other.

The other two vampires looked up and were greeted by flying weapons. They collapsed, blades embedded into their chests.

Kah picked up his battleax and looked at the Hall. "There's the door."

Zoh spun his broadsword. "Maybe we knock?"

The elder Orc lit up a fireball. "Who knocks anymore?"

He fired it into the door and busted clean through it. Opening it, he looked around.

The Hall's front lobby was completely destroyed, with only the floor and walls still intact. Several bodies were completely drained of fluid and thrown in different parts of the room. They noticed that a few of them had the horrific markings from before.

Zoh looked up and his heart stopped. Someone was up in the ceiling, a large spike through his chest and hands. It looked like he had been crucified while hanging from a rafter.

"How did someone do that?" he muttered to himself.

Kah noted the wounds on some of the corpses.

"These are scythe marks" he explained. "But they're unlike any other. These are practically gutted, like fish."

"Do scythes do that?" asked Zoh, who had a little less knowledge in weapons.

"Not usually. Most scythe wounds are long sweeping cuts. This looks like a serrated sword, but the pattern leads me to suspect that a scythe did it."

They heard a bloodcurdling scream echo across the entire Hall. They raised their weapons, but the scream continued.

"Holy shit" whispered Kah.

The scream kept going, then abruptly ended. They heard something splash against stone and someone laughing.

"They must be finishing off the prisoners" guessed Zoh.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They snuck deeper into the Hall, using the directions Isran had given them. Their primary goal was the vault, so revenge on vampire kind in general was a reserve thing.

Several more screams issued, each one ended with the splashing. And that laugh. It was like a demon was laughing.

"Whoever is laughing is a real creeper" muttered Zoh.

"Agreed."

They reached another hallway and saw that several people had left signs. By signs that mean handwritten messages in their own blood.

One of them caught the Orcs' eyes. It was a drawing of sorts. It featured a man with a giant scythe in his hands. Underneath it read, "Psycho".

"That must be our guy" guessed Kah.

"That's a big damn scythe" noted the younger. It was nearly as big as the man in the drawing.

"Probably exaggeration. He couldn't swing a scythe as big as him" replied Kah.

They heard another scream, this one far closer. It was combined with murmuring of sorts. It sounded like frantic pleading.

Then they heard something swing and a splash of blood.

"I think the psycho is near" whispered the elder.

"So do I."

The snuck around the corner and came into a large room. On one wall was a massive door, like a gate. It had a small keyhole in the center, which would perfectly fit the key they had. But more important than the vault was the psycho.

The psycho wore a long grey robe that was covered in symbols. Around his neck was a small necklace with a bull on it. His hair was snow white and hung to his shoulders. His eyes were a deep yellow, which sealed the fact that he was a vampire. He appeared to be a Breton, although the overall paleness of his skin made it difficult to tell.

The most obvious detail was his scythe. It was six feet long and the head was three feet wide. It looked ribbed, like its function was sawing instead of cleaving.

The psycho smiled down at his victim, which turned out to be another vampire. The prisoner was whimpering softly, like it had to accept its fate. While this scene on its own was disturbing, the psycho's face made it worse. He had a huge grin on his face, like a kid with a new toy.

"He's killing his own men" muttered Kah astonished.

The psycho raised the scythe over his head and swung it in an elaborate circle. It cleaved the vampire in half and separated him from the waist.

The psycho's face contracted and he groaned. He threw his head back and moaned loudly. It was like he had electricity flowing through his body. His arms twitched at his sides and temporarily sprouted claws. His eyes flashed pure crimson and his face began to turn marble white.

Then he stopped and the psycho shook it off.

"Ugh, too good for my own good" he muttered. "I'm getting close."

He sniffed the air and the two Orcs bristled.

The psycho's grin doubled. "Fresh…meat."

He spun the scythe over his head and let it go. A thick cable connected the scythe to his wrist, and he spun elegantly.

The scythe flew around him and trailed straight at the two Orcs.

They ducked and the blade sliced through the walls around them. Returning to its owner, the psycho smiled down at them.

"Two Dawnguard members? And I am at the peak of my climax?"

The psycho shuddered, like he was having trouble containing himself. "This is…too coincidental. It's like Lord Harkon arranged it himself."

"Who are you?" asked Kah lifting his broadsword.

The psycho smiled, licking his lips. They noticed that when he did so, his tongue practically flicked past his eyebrows.

"My name is Jawil. I am a Vampire Lord."

He dropped his head down, casting a shadow over his face. "And you…are my prey!"

**Like I said. Psycho.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, I hope you're ready for a fight.**

Jawil leaped at the two brothers, throwing the scythe around recklessly. The two dodged it, but he managed to attack both of them simultaneously.

Zoh blocked a strike to his head and the scythe ricocheted off. Flying through the air, the massive blade went straight to Kah.

The elder Orc dodged it and swiped at Jawil. Catching him in the side, it left a long line in his hip.

The psycho screamed, but not out of pain. He laughed manically and turned to Kah. His eyes were wild and his fangs were covered in his blood.

"The pain is so…amazing!" he cried licking his lips.

Kah was so astonished that the vampire was able to get in a good blow with his scythe.

The elder Orc grimaced and examined the wound in his arm. It looked like the rope burn of the gods.

"My scythe doesn't kill" explained Jawil grinning. "I like to take it slow. It lets me…savor the agony."

Zoh raised his crossbow and aimed at him. "Savor this bitch."

He fired and it nailed Jawil in the shoulder.

The psycho simply looked at him and pulled out the bolt without a grimace. Tossing it aside, Jawil ripped off his robe, revealing his toned chest and grey pants.

He simply stuck out his tongue and it stretched to the wound in his shoulder. He licked it thoroughly, wiping the blood all across his chest.

"Oh, I love to savor my own wounds" stated the vampire grinning. "It…is absolutely amazing."

The two Orcs were highly disturbed at this. This kind of sadomasochism was crazier than any they had even heard of.

Jawil raised the scythe and licked the end of it. "I see that I disturb you. Probably a good thing. I want you to know how much of a freak you are dealing with. Just ask them."

The other vampires in the room weren't interfering. Instead, they stood there. Only then did the Orcs see clearly what they were. They had tattoos emblazoned on their arms and chests, the same ones Jawil had on his robe.

"They are my slaves" he explained smiling. "They are like little dabbles of energy I can use any time I want."

"What?" asked Kah confused.

The vampire chuckled. "I feast on life energy. Most vampires do so by feeding, however, my abilities absorb it directly from a kill. Every time I kill something, I get stronger."

He spun the scythe, entertaining himself a little bit. "However, my transformations take forever to do. That's the reason I can't use my abilities on you yet."

Jawil shrugged. "Fine by me. I don't like using them really. Too boring."

He looked over at them. "Now that I've explained it to you, let's get back to me murdering you."

He leaped at them, spinning like a top.

Kah emitted a solid pillar of fire at him and Zoh did the same.

Jawil landed and spun the scythe. The flames danced around him, but didn't touch him.

Rolling quickly on the ground, he swept Kah's feet from under him.

The elder Orc landed and stared up at the vampire.

Jawil grinned and raised the scythe in his typical circular motion.

Zoh leaped forward and slashed his sword across the vampire's chest.

Jawil screamed in ecstasy, but still managed to push him away. Moving frantically, he trailed a series of cuts across Zoh's chest. Leaping into the air, he slammed his foot into the younger Orc, sending him flying into a wall.

Zoh hit the wall and looked up in time to see a massive scythe blade coming at his head. He ducked and smashed his fist into Jawil's stomach. Grabbing him by the belt, the Orc threw him away.

The vampire landed in a heap and got up. While he enjoyed a challenge, these were not exactly people he was used to.

He turned to one of his concubines and threw them on the floor. Smiling at the Orcs, he gave them a wink.

"Watch" he ordered swinging the scythe.

The blade cut a long line across the slave's chest and he screamed in agony.

"Yes! Scream for me!" ordered Jawil. He began to deliver more blows, eventually decapitating his slave.

A red aura rose from the concubine's body and emitted to Jawil. It sank into his skin and he smiled. It was really only visible since they were so close to him.

Jawil did a similar shudder from before, except his eyes remained blood red. He glared at them with his new eyes, licking his fangs in front of them. The wounds in his chest sealed shut, like the energy was a healing agent.

"I love a good kill in the morning" he muttered before sprinting at them.

Rolling on the ground, he swung his scythe. He let the chain go and began twirling on the floor, cleaving lines in the walls around him.

Kah landed outside the radius of the blade and smashed his axe down into the floor.

He caught the blade dead on and stopped Jawil from spinning.

The Orc grabbed his weapon, which was caught on the scythe, and threw it as hard as he could. This sent the scythe flying backwards with its wielder soaring straight to Kah.

The elder Orc slugged him in the face, breaking his nose instantly. The vampire collapsed on the floor, bleeding.

"Ugh, that wasn't so good. Too fast" muttered Jawil wiping his nose.

He noted the fact that the Orc was swinging an axe at his head, so he raised a leg and blocked it.

Kah stared at him amazed. His leg had completely withstood the impact of the swing, like it was made of stone.

"Well, well, well" muttered the vampire. "It would seem my transformation is underway."

Flipping onto his feet, he swung his clawed nails at the elder Orc's head. Kah blocked it with his gauntlet and head-butted the vampire in the nose again.

"Heh, broken bones on top of broken bones. You might be my relative" stated Jawil grinning. He licked the blood running from his nose.

"I think it's time I got serious."

He turned to another one of his concubines and flicked out his tongue. It wrapped around his neck and made him start to choke.

He snapped his neck instantly and absorbed the life energy of his slave.

"Ah, the right stuff" he muttered unveiling his right arm. It was the color of marble and appeared solid.

Punching Kah in the face, he picked his scythe off the ground.

Suddenly Zoh was all in his face, his sword and crossbow in hand. He spun quickly, his blade leaving lines in the air.

"My oh my, using my tactics against me" muttered Jawil dodging his blows. "I would say that's a bad idea, but there's always room for…"

He stopped when a crossbow was placed underneath his chin.

"Die" ordered Zoh pulling the trigger.

The vampire was knocked off his feet, a bolt in his neck. He collapsed, bleeding onto the floor.

Zoh went over to his brother. "You okay?"

Kah nodded. "Yeah. Tough guy though."

The elder turned to the concubines, who were still standing there motionless. Some of them weren't even vampires. It wouldn't be right to kill them if they were bound like this.

"Listen, your master is dead! Leave now and never come back!" ordered Kah.

"Or stay" said a familiar voice, "And watch the show."

The two Orcs turned and stared in horror at what the saw.

Jawil was standing back up, the hole in his neck patched. At his feet was a dead concubine, his neck twisted nearly all the way around.

"I told you I'd be serious" warned the vampire lord. "Now please…entertain me."


	9. Chapter 9

Jawil let his scythe loose, trailing long lines across the floor. The two Orcs leaped to either side, already forming a plan against him.

Kah leaped at him and swung his axe high. The vampire ducked and Zoh filled the space, thrusting with his sword.

The blade caught Jawil in the leg and he moaned. Grabbing the younger Orc, he threw him into a pillar.

"Thank you, for giving me a little something" stated the vampire smiling.

He raised his scythe and threw it.

Zoh dodged it and began running back at him.

The scythe rebounded and struck him in the back. It sank into his shoulder blades and he collapsed on the floor.

"Brother!" cried Kah running to his side.

Jawil leaped on the wounded Orc, his fangs clearly visible. "Let's get this little party started."

He unveiled a claw and ripped open Zoh's shirt. Trailing a long line of scratches down his chest, the vampire licked his lips at the sight.

"So much pain. It's...unreal."

Kah kicked him in the face and he collapsed.

The elder pulled out a potion of healing and poured it into the younger's mouth.

Zoh coughed as the wound in his back was healed instantly.

Jawil leaped back at them, swinging his blade.

The younger grabbed his brother's crossbow and fired.

The bolt smashed into the vampire's wrist, destroying his grip. The scythe clattered to the ground and Jawil licked the wound.

"Ugh, a minor inconvenience" he muttered grabbing the coil part.

Twirling it above his head, he wrapped it around a concubine's waist. Pulling it tight, he bifurcated him instantly.

The wound in his wrist healed right up and he gripped the scythe. "You gentlemen are the best play things ever! I injure you, you injure me! It's the ultimate in ecstatic experiences!"

"Good Malacath you sound like it's a threesome or something" muttered Zoh.

"That's exactly what it is! Oh, I haven't had one this good since four years ago!"

The two brothers looked at each other.

"I think we just decided you are a freaky psycho" confirmed Kah.

"Fine by me. Say, can we fight some more? I just love feeling the pain course through the air."

"Ugh, can we just shut this whoron up?" asked Zoh.

"Whoron? What's a whoron?" inquired Jawil.

"Whore and moron combined" explained Kah.

"Oh. Well while I don't agree with this, I do want someone to shut me up."

"I think I am going to hurl" muttered Zoh.

"If you are, please don't do so on me. These pants are silk."

Kah got tired of talking and decided to just kill. He swung his axe, yelling loudly.

Jawil leaped back and countered with his scythe. Catching the Orc's weapon, he kicked him in the chest.

Kah pulled out a knife and blocked the next attack. Ducking, he felt Zoh take his place.

The younger Orc roared, spinning with his sword. The vampire noted this with delight and spun with him.

"Come on, hit me or I hit you!" taunted Jawil blocking his attacks.

Five seconds of blocking later the vampire grinned. "Fine, I hit you!"

He swept his feet from under him and slashed across Zoh's sternum.

The Orc gasped and Jawil cut him again, forming an X over his stomach.

"Oh, the sweet, perpetual agony!' cried the psycho.

Kah leaped in and swung, cutting into the vampire's chest. It literally tore into his muscles and exposed his ribs.

The vampire gurgled blood and grabbed a concubine. He bit into its throat and ripped it open. Blood gushed all over him and left his entire torso covered in it. Underneath it his skin and muscles began to regrow, slowly but surely.

Kah pressed a healing spell onto Zoh and began the process of repairing his wound.

"Stay here" he ordered looking back at the restored vampire. "I will deal with him."

Kah turned and swung his axe. Jawil grinned and began dodging, liking the offensive Orc.

"Come on, hit me in the chest!" taunted the vampire. "Or the leg! Oh mercy, yes! Hit me in the leg!" Despite his pleading, he still dodged nimbly.

Zoh felt himself begin to heal up, but he still had trouble moving. He turned to one of the concubines and snarled. These things were the only reason that the vampire could survive against them.

He reloaded his crossbow and fired it into the nearest slave's head. It collapsed without a word.

Jawil stopped, his entire body shuddering. His left arm turned demonic as well, growing long talons.

"Oh sweet merciful agony! You killed one of my slaves didn't you?" yelled the vampire turning to Zoh. "Only I do that! Observe!"

He gripped the scythe and threw it violently at one. It cut clean through his neck and released his life energy.

Jawil dropped his scythe and his entire body began to shift. Two wings burst from his back, wrapping themselves around his shoulders. His skin became white marble, in texture and color. Then something weird happened.

Blood spewed from his mouth like a waterfall. It covered his chest and spread into elaborate lines around him. His hair turned to spikes on his back that spread down to his waist. His fangs doubled in length, cutting into his lower lips.

"Let's go" he beckoned raising his claws. When he did this, he released a storm of his magicka round him. It was colored deep red, darker then the life energy he had absorbed.

The other concubines in the room were lifted off their feet, his magicka choking them. He tightened his hands into fists and they all died instantly.

Suddenly he roared into the sky, spikes bursting from underneath his skin.

"Oh the beautiful anguish!" he yelled.

Something poked through his ribcage, covered in his blood. It was a wound from behind.

He turned and saw that Zoh had embedded his sword into his back. He backhanded him and pulled out the sword.

"Pitiful mortal! I am far too powerful to be hurt by your stupid weapons! I…"

He stopped. From his mouth burst black blood, more than before. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed. When he did fall, it revealed that he was in two pieces.

Kah dropped the scythe he had picked up and sighed. "Holy crap. What was that?"

"A Vampire Lord" answered Zoh. "It appears we underestimated them."

Kah turned to the vault door, something they had forgotten. "Now, I really hope we can just get whatever the crap documents we need and get back."

"Yeah, I agree."

They went over to it and the elder pulled out the key. Fitting it into the keyhole, he opened the vault.

They pulled the door and stepped inside. It appeared that it was a fancy form of a pantry, since it really only contained shelving units. It still had the papers from before, and it looked like no one had opened it in a while.

"So, Isran sent someone to collect some things? Interesting."

The two Orcs whirled around and saw that someone was standing over Jawil's body. This someone had a grey set of steel armor that was adorned with white details. It was actually fairly simple, since it wasn't that much of an eye catcher.

"Who in Oblivion are you?" demanded Kah.

The man looked up. He wore a mask over his face, one that was a neutral grey. It had a hole over his right eye, revealing that his eye was golden. The mask had lines running vertically across it, making it seem like it was a raining mask.

"I am just a retriever" explained the man. His voice was scratchy and ragged, like he hadn't had a drink in forever.

He held up Jawil's finger. On it was a ring.

"I have been asked to retrieve his ring. A sign of Lord Harkon's favor. Obviously he can't show it now that he's half the man he used to be."

The man chuckled. "Eh, I have the worst sense of humor."

He looked up at the two Orcs. "Maybe we'll see each other sometime in the future. Who knows? Until then, have a nice day. Oh, and have fun."

Then he took a step backwards and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

**Holy shit! It's bigger then they thought!**


	10. Chapter 10

"So you met one of Lord Harkon's personal friends?" asked Florentius looking at the two Orcs.

"Yes" stated Kah. "Two of them. One of them, named Jawil, we managed to kill. The second didn't give a name, and we didn't kill him."

"Why not?" Isran inquired surprised. He expected that they would kill anything even remotely similar to a vampire.

"He disappeared. He was too fast for us" explained Zoh.

"Ah, smart prey" muttered Gunmar, the blacksmith of the Dawnguard.

"Pretty much. Jawil possessed several abilities that we didn't even know about" said Kah.

"Like what?" asked Sorine, one of the most curious ones on vampire research.

"He was able to absorb life energy to perform his transformations. He also bound some of his subordinates to himself, making it possible to inherit their life energy completely."

"Did he transform like the others?" asked Isran.

"Sort of. It was gradual instead of all at once. Every time he killed a subordinate, a part of him transformed. He himself said he was an anomaly, since most of them ate from feeding, not direct kills."

"What about this other one?"

"We don't know. He showed the ability to move silently and teleport. It was probably a form of Conjuration."

"No doubt" stated Florentius calmly. "I studied a little bit of such subjects. Teleportation is completely possible if enough preparation is applied."

"So now they can teleport. Great" muttered Isran rubbing his temples.

"Then we kill them before they can move" stated Gunmar calmly.

"Agreed" said Sorine smiling.

Zoh remembered something. "We also fought another one earlier. Back in Rothbaldor, we fought a guy who could use locust. And he could disappear into the swarms."

"Oh, that's just awesome" murmured Isran. "I knew a little about the locust, but disappearing into the clouds? That's insane."

Florentius processed this. "The locusts are similar to Daedra and undead. They are just like the Atronachs. Which means that we have spells to counter it."

"There are thousands of them at once" pointed out Kah.

"Then I will have to develop a spell to manipulate an area" counted Florentius. "It will take me a little while, but it will work out."

Isran nodded. "Good."

He turned to Sorine. "I need you to get more crossbow designs. We need to make them more effective and powerful. Can you do this?"

She smiled. "Is a pig's shit pork?"

"I'll take that as a yes. Now Gunmar, how are your trolls?"

The veteran grinned. "Angry and ready for action."

The two Orcs were confused. "Trolls?" asked Kah.

"Oh, right. We never told you" stated Gunmar. "We train trolls to use in combat. They're deadly and efficient."

"Isn't that why you hired us?" joked Zoh.

The Dawnguard members laughed at this, but the younger Orc didn't. "I was serious you dicks."

They all laughed, including Zoh.

"Heh, now I think we need to get going" stated Isran. "You two guys get some sleep. You earned it."

"Yeah, that scythe Jawil had one hell of an edge" muttered Kah rubbing the scar on his chest.

"How do you think I feel? He hit me more" replied Zoh slightly sore over that.

"Yeah, people seem to do that don't they?" joked the older brother. "Maybe they want to shut your stupid ass up?"

The younger punched him in the shoulder. "You dick."

They walked off to their beds and Isran turned to the other leaders of the Dawnguard. "Now, do we have any knowledge on where their stronghold is?"

"Not a bit" answered Gunmar slightly angry. "We need to capture a vampire to get some information."

"It would be easier if you didn't torture them to death whenever we got one" said Florentius disgusted.

"Hey, I was bored a few dozen times. No big deal."

Sorine got an idea. "Next time we get one, hand it to me. Especially if it's a male. You know what? Send it to me regardless."

Isran was slightly concerned by this behavior, but was certain she could get any information they would ever need. He had been a victim of Sorine's 'interrogations' once. He still had nightmares.

"Please try not to get too many foreign fluids on the equipment" stated Florentius with a blank stare. "It took me weeks to get entrails of my scalpels last time."

"Understood" she said smiling. "Oh, please find me one Gunmar. I need something to work on immediately!"

The large Nord nodded, only a bit uncomfortable. "Fine. I'll be off to kill a few things."

He picked up his war axe and spun it. "It's been so long since I've done this. I hope I meet a Master Vampire. Or if my luck is good, a Vampire Lord."

Isran shrugged. "Whatever. Just go out and have fun my friend."

Gunmar nodded and walked out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

Gunmar walked into the cave he had found, a smile from ear to ear. He had finally discovered a vampire lair, after only one day of searching. He was so ecstatic that he could barely keep his breathing normal.

"Ugh, I gotta _capture_ one" he reminded himself with particular disgust. "Fine, I'll get one of the higher ranking servants or something. The leader will never talk, I've tried everything. The second in command ones do though."

He reached an intersection in the cave and turned left. Walking down the hall, he saw that two vampires were standing in front of a doorway. They looked like guards.

"Top of the morning" he said loudly.

They turned and stared at him in wonder. He was a head taller than them and carried a huge axe in one hand.

"Ah, too rude to say a greeting back eh? I hate rude people."

He spun the axe and threw it as hard as he could.

It smashed into a vampire's chest and sent him gurgling to the ground. The other drew his sword, but Gunmar was on him like a flash.

Grabbing him the jaw, he twisted the vampire's head violently around. It collapsed with its comrade, something he found comedic.

"They sucked" he noted grabbing his axe. "I hope those weren't the best ones."

He walked down the tunnel, making sure to note what was going on. They had laid down a bunch of bones and gore along the walls and floor, similar to paint and carpet. It was revolting and the main reason Gunmar didn't like them.

"Dishonorable brutes. Ugh, now I sound like Florentius" he muttered rubbing his brow. "Let's just get this over with before I started spouting crap about gods."

He reached a small room and noted that there was a dining table in front of him. At the other end was a vampire, one who was definitely different than the others. His eyes were a glowing yellow that shone in the darkness. His skin was fairly pale, despite the fact that he was a Redguard. On his head was a circlet of bone, with a skull at the top over his forehead.

The vampire looked up and noted Gunmar calmly. Ripping into a smoked pig, he began chewing on its tendons.

"So you're the Nord vampire hunter known as Gunmar are you?" asked the vampire looking at him.

"Yes" replied the Nord. "Are you..?"

"A Master Vampire? No" answered the vampire honestly. "I am a Vampire Lord."

Gunmar gasped and rubbed his hands together. "My day just got better."

The vampire shrugged and ripped off one of the pig's legs. "I would say you are looking for information on Lord Harkon."

"How could you tell?"

"Well you have run your stupid initial period of slaughtering endless vampires and are instead searching for the pot of gold, so to speak. It is logical."

"Fair enough. Yes we are. Can you tell me anything?"

The vampire was surprised. "Questions before you attempt to kill me? Something new every day I suppose. Actually, I haven't been to the nesting place of Lord Harkon, so I will be no help. But I can tell you this."

He lifted his hand, revealing a ring on his finger. It was made of gold and had a symbol etched into the top of it. It looked like some sort of Dwarven text.

"This is a ring given to me by Lord Harkon himself" stated the vampire lord calmly. "It is a showing that I am one of his most trustworthy men and an incredibly powerful person."

He looked up at him, his eyes flashing. "The one who your men killed, the one named Jawil, had one as well. His had a symbol on it as well. His symbol meant Cruelty. My ring means Stillness. Perhaps later on you will figure out why."

He flicked the leg of pork aside and wiped his mouth. "Now I must apologize, but I cannot stay much longer. I have an important meeting with Lord Harkon, and I hate to keep him waiting."

"Well he'll be waiting for a while" stated Gunmar cracking his knuckles.

He stopped, a strange chill in the air. It felt like the temperature of the air had decreased to freezing point. He couldn't move any of his muscles, or even breathe.

The Vampire Lord stood, the blank look still on his face. "Now you know why I am marked with Stillness. For the same reason Jawil was marked with Cruelty. It is a label to represent our inner powers. Believe me, this is just a basic display, for my more advanced ones are incredibly deadly. But my men deserve a little dinner for themselves. Goodbye Gunmar. And please die quickly."

He adjusted the circlet of bone on his head and disappeared into ash.

As soon as the vampire lord was gone, the Nord was able to breathe again. He took in a deep breath and readied his axe. Just because he wasn't visible didn't mean the vampire wasn't still there.

Something smashed into the table, something humanoid. It wore a black tunic over a grey undershirt. It had long grey hair and red eyes. It was a vampire, and definitely not the one from before. This one was Imperial and didn't seem too unearthly.

"So Lord Dazen has left you here for us? How generous of him" stated the vampire licking his lips.

"Looks like he left me some nice chunks of meat" noted Gunmar drawing his axe. "I should thank him when I'm embedding this axe into his skull."

"Cute talk Nord, but I don't think you realize how many of us are there."

From the shadows came forth a dozen vampires, all of them dressed like the Imperial. They all had ravenous looks in their eyes, like they were eyeing a juicy chunk of meat. In fair aspect of vampire culture, they technically were.

"Let's get this bloodbath boiling" muttered the Imperial leaping at Gunmar.

The Nord swept with his axe and sliced clean through the vampire's arm. Spinning, he chopped the back of his hand into the Imperial's neck. He dropped like a stone, his air turning to water.

"First course is done, bring in the next one" taunted Gunmar waving his weapon.

The other vampires were so caught up in bloodlust they ignored the fact he had killed one of their members effortlessly. They pulled out various weapons, all of them ready to get some blood in their systems.

Gunmar grabbed one of the chairs beside the table and threw it at a vampire. It literally bonded with the chair, forming a mass of wood and gore. The Nord grabbed a knife on the table and spun it expertly to have it pointed downwards.

Pressing it into the table, he used it as leverage to propel himself upwards. He landed on the table and raised a fist.

Several vampires jumped to him from various directions, trying to subdue him with little thought to strategy.

He smashed his fist into the table, splitting it in two. This formed a sandwich around him, a bit like a shield. This also caused the vampires to smash into it, not expecting a freaking table to be turned against them.

Gunmar grabbed the two sides of the table around him and pushed, slamming it back into the ground. This sent the vampires, who were practically parts of the table at this point, to be flattened into the dirt. This released a pool of blood all around the table, like a two-sided mousetrap.

The other vampires, which were about five in total now, looked at this in wonder. The Dawnguard member had killed more men with a table then with his axe.

Gunmar stepped outside of his little table trap and spun the axe. Turning to the remaining vampires, he said, "Please don't disappoint me."

They ran at him, wanting revenge for their comrades. Now that he didn't have his stupid table with him, it might be a little easier, they reasoned.

Gunmar swung his axe high, deflecting a mace at his head. He swept out the wielder's legs and turned to a second vampire. Raising the knife, he embedded it straight into the second man's chest. Turning back to the first, he plunged his axe into his neck. Turning once again, he pulled the knife out of the second man's ribcage and threw it at third vampire.

Running towards the fourth and fifth, he kicked a rock the size of a stool. It flew at the fourth and crushed his ribcage and spine instantly.

Spinning elaborately, Gunmar slashed into the fifth's chest. It screamed in agony and the Nord raised two fingers.

Thrusting them into the vampire's neck, he literally felt its spine. Gripping it tightly, he yanked it clean out of the vampire's body.

Tossing the bloody assortment of bones aside, he wiped his axe of the blood on it.

"That was actually not bad. Got a heptakill and five more individual kills. Awesome."

He looked back and noticed a vampire was cowering in a corner. It was dressed like a servant and seemed to be terrified of him.

"Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" squeaked the coward covering his head.

Gunmar grabbed him and hoisted him off his feet. "Listen. I'm gonna take you back to my little home. When we get there, you will tell us everything. If you don't, my friend Sorine will have at you. And believe me, I'm afraid of her."

The vampire paled considerably and Gunmar began to drag him out of the cave.

"Now I gotta drag this deadweight all the way back. Great."


	12. Chapter 12

Dazen walked into the room, a long black piece of cloth wrapped around him. It went from his pectorals all the way down to his ankles. It was basically an extremely long scarf.

He sat down at his customary chair, the one marked with his symbol. He was on time, since only a few others were actually there. And of course the head of that meeting was not there.

One of them looked up and smiled. He had a pair of ebony glasses that shone against the limited light. His hair was bright green and was cut in a bowl shape. His eyes were completely mad, like they were having miniature seizures. On his right arm was a huge gauntlet that had several blades all along the edges.

"Ah, Lord Dazen graces us with his presence" stated the man smiling maliciously. "How have you fared today my lord?"

Dazen knew instantly that he was being a smart ass. "Not too bad Nephario. Until I saw you here."

The 'butcher' grinned. "Oh, well, I can fix that right up. A simple eye removal surgery and your day will improve significantly!"

Another member, one that was beside Nephario, scowled. On his head was a silver hood that covered a good chunk of his face. His shirt was a dull grey, as were his pants. He had bandages covering his neck and collar. On his back was a large longbow, nearly the size of his whole body.

"Your habits are disgusting" muttered the man annoyed.

"Disgusting? That's so original Geir" countered Nephario. "Please impress me with your vastly superior and creative words."

The man turned to him. "You are a dog that licks the shit off the sides of the road since you can't even lift your head far enough to see what you're bumping into."

Someone at the other end burst into laughter. This one was a Redguard man who wore a long red robe with a white scarf. On his face was a large tattoo, which consisted of flowing lines and symmetrical patterns. It covered the entire top of his shaved head and spread to his temples and forehead.

"Ha, ha! You are too funny Geir! You tell that little bitch Nephario whose boss!"

The 'butcher' scowled. "You are a brutish, fat-ass joke for a Vampire Lord, Amzir."

"Eh, well I'm better then you, you phony slaughter doctor."

Nephario shrugged. "I represent Insanity. What do you expect?"

"I expect you to keep your composure around your associates" stated a voice from the front of the room.

The people at the table turned and saw the person they were waiting for. Lord Harkon.

They all bowed their heads, some more than others.

The Master Vampire Lord walked to his throne, his red robe flicking around him. The grey chunks of his armor were very shiny and reflected the faint light of the torches. His hair, was sleeked back and moved ever so slightly when he did.

Harkon sat at his throne and sighed. He looked around at the table and noticed something.

"It appears we still haven't found a replacement for Jawil" stated the leader calmly.

"No. We know of no one so cruel" stated Dazen.

"Unfortunate to hear that. This council feels so incomplete without all its members. But alas, we must deal with it."

He looked at the people around him, not really processing their names. To him they were labels, the titles he gave them. Stillness, Insanity, Rage, Hatred, Zeal, Despair, Lust, Mystery, Pride and Cruelty. Granted the person who was supposed to be Cruelty was now a pile of ashes in a jar.

"Now, I believe we need to discuss a few things" stated Harkon politely. He likes to speak this way. It made him sound far more intelligent and calculating. A psychological bonus.

"Now I think we all know of this group called the Dawnguard who are trying to hunt us down. It's cute really, but they did kill Jawil. And that indicates my point."

He rubbed the side of his temple. "They are strong. Jawil wasn't the strongest of us, but he certainly was potent enough. Even if the entire Dawnguard group itself was required to take him down, they just need to expand their numbers up until our skills wouldn't even matter. Numbers overwhelm skill, even if that skill is incredibly high."

"Just send the word sir" stated Amzir, or Rage as Harkon labeled him.

"Of course I will Lord Amzir" replied the Master Vampire Lord calmly. "However, we must first find these people. Second, we figure out their leadership and strategically eliminate them. Then we go in and kill them all."

"Very logical my lord" said Geir, or Despair.

"Thank you Lord Geir. Honestly it is common sense, but it seems that a lot of people don't use logic. Therefore we are at an advantage."

He calmly cleaned his nails, something he liked to do regularly. "Now that I've said this, I want all of you tracking these Dawnguard down. I want them all dead. If the prophecy is to be fulfilled, we cannot let these ignorant brutes get in the way."

"Sir Harkon" began Nephario, or Insanity, slightly nervous. "I have an idea where we could check."

"Really? Please go on Lord Nephario."

"The Hall of the Vigilantes probably contains so information about them. I mean, the main reason we sent Jawil there was to recover a few documents as well. Perhaps they are still there?"

"Possibly. The Dawnguard would probably know very little about such papers if they did exist. And since you had such a good idea, you may go retrieve them Lord Nephario."

"Of course sir."

The Master Vampire Lord smiled at them all. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

They all felt too nervous to talk. While they were all powerful individuals in their own right, Lord Harkon was the reason they had the vampire blood. He was also one of the most powerful individuals in all of Nirn. He could fight as equals to Savos Aren, Mercer Frey, Kodlak Whitemane, or anyone he chose to.

"Good. Then there is nothing more to discuss. Dismissed."


	13. Chapter 13

Isran looked out from the top of the castle, eyeing the landscape around him. He didn't do much sightseeing, but he liked to see what everything looked like. He claimed it was sentry duty, but that was just an excuse really. He appreciated a good sight.

"We have a problem Isran" stated Florentius walking onto the roof.

"Let me guess. Skeevers?" asked the Redguard hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no. It's vampires."

"I was actually joking about the skeever thing, but what is the dilemma?"

The priest held up a piece of paper. "We have multiple incidents of vampire attacks on several Holds. It would appear that they are striking three different places at once."

"Which ones?" inquired Isran.

"Markarth, Falkreach, and Dawnstar."

"Hmm. Well, that's not good" muttered the Redguard.

"Thankfully, we have the locations, or roughly enough. Our prisoner gave it willingly after Sorine, uh, yeah. After she did things."

Isran completely understood what he meant. That vampire was probably lucky to be alive. "Send Gunmar to Markarth, those Orcs to Dawnstar, and you can go to Falkreach."

"Great idea sir. I would be happy to stretch my old legs."

"Perfect. Get those Orcs out of bed. They got something exciting for them today."

"What about the others sir? Surely you wouldn't keep them out of it?"

"Don't worry. They have plenty to do. But these are specialty things, and we need our best people on it. That includes you."

Florentius nodded. "Good that. I shall be off. Arkay's blessing upon you."

He walked off the roof, leaving Isran to his thoughts.

The Redguard turned back to the sunrise before him. How it flowed over the mountains and the treetops so beautifully.

"Such a nice sight" he murmured walking to the exit.

Kah ate with his brother, trying not to rush it. They hadn't really settled down too much since their missions, and needed the energy to fight whoever was assaulting Dawnstar.

"Know anything about Dawnstar?" asked Zoh.

"Not really. Never been there. We saw it when we went to the Hall, but never went inside."

"Well I propose a stop in their inn. We've been sleeping outside too much."

"Fine by me. Apparently it's pretty cold up there."

They stopped when Florentius walked in. The priest sat down and began calmly eating some bread.

"It's a shame we don't get to see you fight" stated Kah. "I've never seen a priest fight."

The Imperial smiled. "I hate fighting. It takes so long to clean it up."

Zoh laughed. "Oh, now I really wish I could see it!"

The priest shrugged. "I fight with magic mostly. Not fancy swords and all. I do use this though."

He raised a small dagger. It was a black metal flecked with bits of red, like a chunk of ore.

"Please don't confuse this with a Daedric artifact gentlemen. This is blood ore, the most magically conductive material on this mortal plain."

To show his point, the blade radiated pure white. It was like a miniature star had been born inside his dagger.

"I channel sunlight through this blade, something vampires can't stand. It's pretty effective."

He finished his chunk of bread and stood. "Now, I must be off. I wish to not be gone for long. I like my bed."

He then walked off, his dagger back in his shirt.

"He's kinda cool" muttered Zoh.

"Interesting enough" agreed Kah.

* * *

Florentius Baenius strolled down the path, smelling the air. He had been walking for nearly three days, finally reaching Falkreach. He had gone at a leisurely pace, since he despised running. He did it when he had to, but he would never opt for it.

While he walked, he gained valuable information from nearby people. It seemed that this vampire encampment was somewhere in the mountains bordering Falkreach, positioned above the ground. Getting inside would be tricky.

"But Arkay will be me through" he reminded himself feeling his necklace. Nevertheless, he began to whisper a prayer to himself as he walked.

When he finally got through the town, people cleared a space for him. He was well-respected as a priest, especially since he wore his necklace proudly on his neck. His head was recently shaved and shone in the light. He kept his head bowed, shuffling towards where he needed to go.

"Good luck" whispered a few people beside him. They were nervous to be so close to a legend, at least that's what they saw him as.

He nodded in thanks, but remained silent. He couldn't upset the eternal balance and reply to their comments. He was a priest on a mission.

He exited the town and got closer to his destination. While he walked, he was stocking up his magicka, trying to concentrate it. The more he had, the better he could fight.

When Florentius reached the fort, he noted its style immediately. A single bridge connected it from the ground into a platform. This led into the mountain, where a series of small houses and encampments were stationed. It was fairly large, something the priest noted with contempt. He was hoping for a quick fight.

He walked onto the bridge, doing so casually. He had no doubts people would notice him, but he really didn't care. He could block whatever he needed to.

He finally got into the fort and stopped. A crowd of vampires had assembled before him, and were eyeing him hungrily.

"Well, well, well, we got ourselves a nice little chunk of Dawnguard meat" commented one.

"Yeah, let's tear him in so many pieces we won't be able to divide him equally."

"You won't be doing any dividing" commented Florentius raising his arms.

He began to glow golden, pulsating with sun energy. The vampires backed away, sensing his power.

The Imperial yelled and exploded, sending sun energy all around him. The vampires screamed in agony and writhed under the light.

The explosion expanded across the area, baking houses and the ground.

Florentius began to walk forward, sending the aura spreading even farther. It was like a star had been born on Tamriel and was moving across the surface.

He reached the final house and noted the power coming from it. A master vampire lived here.

He smashed it open with his fist and walked inside. The Master Vampire was staring at him astonished, like he couldn't believe what he saw.

"They sent you" muttered the vampire amazed. He barely noticed the slight burning he was getting the sun magic, too busy looking at Florentius.

The Imperial raised his hand. "Wither before the might of Arkay."

He blasted a solid beam of sunlight at the vampire, who withered instantly. He exploded into ash and covered the entire house with it.

Florentius lessened the magic, dimming himself down. He felt tired, but not too tired to stand. He brushed the ash off his clothes, feeling only a tad bit hungry despite the bodies around him.

"Well, I think some fish is in order" he muttered walking back to Falkreach.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorine sighed and smashed her head into the table. She was completely alone in this castle. Isran was busy doing paperwork, and everyone else had left. Even freaking Florentius left on a mission. She was deeply offended Isran didn't give her one and she was beginning to mope. She had finished 'experimenting' on the prisoner and had thrown him out.

"Fuck!" she yelled throwing a bottle onto the floor. It smashed and puffed out a tuft of foul smelling smoke.

"Ugh, Experiment 18" she muttered waving it away.

She set her head down again. "Hmm, what to do? I could…uh…do some target practice. No, my aim's perfect. I could piss off the trolls for a while. Naw, that's not a great idea if I need to use one in combat."

She sighed. "Damn it there's nothing to do."

She heard someone knock on the door and she perked up. Perhaps someone had come back from their mission, or even better, a new recruit she could flirt with.

She reached the giant door and opened it. Then she gasped inside her head.

Standing before her was a fairly tall man that appeared to be an Imperial. He had medium-length black hair that framed his fair face. His eyes were a penetrating blue that sent chills up her spine. He was incredibly handsome, radiating that slick, 'pimp' style seldom seen in men.

"Good evening my lady" he said giving a bow. As he did so, he revealed that he had an ebony cane with an ivory headpiece. His clothing was very royal, making him seem like an ambassador.

She instantly knew she wanted him. Badly.

She leaned onto the door frame and rubbed the outside. "Why you stopping here? To visit little old me?"

The man grinned, revealing his shiny white teeth. "How did you know? I heard rumors about the great Sorine. I am, what you would call, an admirer."

She was pleasantly surprised at this. She had written a few books on Dwemer research and was glad he knew about it. First, it showed he was very literate and intelligent. Second, it made her feel like he actually knew about her.

"I'm glad to meet a fan of my work" she said in her flirting voice. "But I hope you know, I don't just write books."

The man kept his grin and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you can help me then. I have a certain, _special_, topic I need help in. And it won't work without the great, beautiful Sorine."

She blushed slightly, but kept her smile. "Oh. May I know what this, _subject_, is?"

He tutted, pressing his cane into the door beside her head. "Now Sorine, if you knew what I needed help in, wouldn't that ruin the surprise before we started?"

She gave him a sly grin. She knew exactly what he had in mind, and she loved it. "I think we should take this to my room. For closer inspection of your, _subject_."

"I agree" stated the man adjusting his hair. "This is a very pressing matter that we have."

She quickly led him to her room, noting the way he walked. He had this leisurely stroll kind of deal, like he really didn't care too much about what others said about him. It just made him seem far more attractive and made it hard to not just grab him and throw him into a room.

"You know, I'm usually more into the exotic" she teased stroking his chest.

He looked down at her and gave a knowing smile. "Don't worry. This, _subject_, is most exotic."

They finally got to her room and Sorine quickly prepared her bed. She wasn't really sure why she was so excited. It was like she was drugged or something. But she didn't care. It was probably because of her lack of input from other people. Specifically input.

"Well, I think it's time to see the subject" she said smiling at her guest.

The man flicked a strand of hair from his face and dropped his cane at the base of her bed. "Yes. But first, I need you to do something."

"Of course. What do you need?"

Suddenly he appeared in front of her. It was like he had taken a massive step and reached her.

He grabbed the back of her head and forced it into the bed. She was frightened at this, but she knew what he really meant.

The man put his mouth to her ear, something that sent chills up her spine. It wasn't like this was a new experience for her, but he did it so ferociously, without even asking.

"Try not to scream too loud" advised the man throwing off his shirt.

And that's pretty much how it went for the next two hours. This man, who she barely meant, practically dug for gold inside of her. He didn't apologize or ask if she was okay. He just kept going.

Admittedly, she actually loved it. It was like he knew exactly what she wanted. He used positions she had never even heard of and never seemed to get tired.

He finally stopped and she collapsed onto the bed. She wasn't sure if he actually needed a break or if he was giving her one.

"Very good doctor. It would seem you are experienced at this" stated the man calmly.

She nodded, still tired as crap.

"I think you deserve a little break. Don't worry. I'll be back to continue our research."

He walked to the balcony of her room and looked out. The moon was full and shone brightly in the evening sky.

Sorine turned to him and studied his figure. He was very tall and muscularly built, like an acrobat. His back had a few scars on it, which looked like slashes from a sword. In the center of his back was a strange symbol.

"_Hmm. Wonder what that is"_ she thought to herself.

It appeared to be some kind of Dwemer symbol if her research was correct. It meant something, something rather odd.

"_Hmm. Lust. Wonder why he would have that on his back?"_

She rolled over and looked closer at him. His skin appeared weird, like it was constantly shifting. It appeared that he was a mirage. Or it could've been an effect of water vapor in the evening moonlight. Either was a sufficient option.

The man turned and grinned at her naked body. "It would seem that I haven't told you my name, my sweet Sorine. I am sorry for that, but business is not a language of names."

He whipped a strand of hair from his eyes. "My name is Aistra."

She smiled. "Such a nice name."

"Thank you doctor. Now, I think you are plenty rested. Let's continue the game."


	15. Chapter 15

Isran smelled something. It smelled completely off to him since he rarely smelted it anymore.

"What in Oblivion is Sorine cooking up?" he muttered to himself. He sniffed harder.

"That ain't a potion. That's…"

He sighed. "Damn it Sorine I thought I said no more sex partners. Oh well. She needed a little something anyway."

He kept working on the piles of bullshit paperwork he had to do. He had to pay damn taxes on the fort. Taxes! On an abandoned fort! Freaking bureaucrats.

He sniffed the air and stopped. "No. That smell isn't…what I thought earlier."

His eyes widened. "Vampire."

He grabbed his warhammer and sprinted out of his chair. He had his armor on, but he wasn't entirely ready for a fight.

He rushed into the common area and he stopped. Someone was standing on a beam in the ceiling of the huge foyer. The intruder was perfectly balanced on a wooden beam, not even slightly nervous about the heights.

The intruder had bright green hair the color of limes. His skin was a fair shade that hinted that he was an Imperial. He wore a huge metal mechanism on his right arm, something that looked like a cheese grater. His attire consisted of a white fur collar on top of a grey jacket. His left arm was wrapped in bandages and his legs were covered by a pair of white pants.

The intruder looked at him and grinned. "Ah, Isran himself is here. Awesome."

"Who the fuck are you?" asked the Redguard angry that someone had disturbed his work.

"Ah, don't know the infamous Nephario huh? Shame. I thought my hair would give it away" he muttered stroking a small strand of it.

Nephario looked up at Isran and finally showed his eyes. They were a flashing yellow, like mustard.

"I think you know why I'm here" stated the intruder calmly. Or vampire.

Isran didn't comment. Instead, he threw his warhammer as hard as he could at him.

The hammer smashed into the beam the vampire was standing on and splintered it instantly.

Nephario calmly leaped off and landed on the balcony below him. He adjusted his collar, which was almost like a scarf on his jacket. "Let's get this started."

He drew a strange device from his waist, something that looked like a mace. It was made of Dwemer metal and was very intricate.

Suddenly the head of the mace expanded outwards, forming into dozens of different shapes and lines.

When it finished, it looked like someone with schizophrenia had designed the weapon. It had several parts that seemed completely foreign, such as pentagons and flower-shaped chunks of metal.

"Now, let's show you what the man, with the aspect of Madness, can really do" stated Nephario sprinting at Isran.

The Redguard raised his hand and the warhammer returned to him. He caught it and swung high.

The vampire slid under the weapon and sliced with his mace. It ran several odd slashes across Isran's leg, like the weapon itself wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Several of them hurt like crap, while others caused more blood then seemed possible.

The vampire grinned at him, his eyes wide. He was licking his lips frantically, like he had a tasty morsel he just ate.

"I think this is going to be fun" muttered the crazed man swinging his odd weapon.

Sorine sighed as round two of her and Aistra's 'research' finished. She was sore in more places then she knew existed, since apparently he was an expert on the subject. He was barely tired, like he didn't even use any energy.

"Hmm, we are making resounding success doctor" stated the Nord calmly. He was again basking in the night scene, enjoying the serenity of it all. His back was to her again, and she was gazing at the strange symbol of his again.

"You're amazing in research Aistra" commented Sorine gazing at him. "How did you get so good?"

"I worked with a man named Larkius in the Imperial City" he explained. "Let's just say there was plenty to practice on."

She smiled. "I know him. I have…_worked_ with him too."

Aistra nodded. "Understandable. He is a provocative male. For a pimp."

Sorine was surprised at this observation.

"Are you…into a few other things?" she asked slyly.

The man chuckled, still not turning around. "Why yes I am. Just one subject is boring. Now two is incredibly interesting."

She was mildly curious about him. The thought that such a man, who could practically destroy her, was also a bisexual, was incredible. It made him seem far more attractive, which he didn't need.

"Now, I regret to inform you of something" he stated turning back to her.

She looked at him curious. "Are you finished? That is fine. I don't need anymore."

"Well that's good to hear. But that's not the bad news."

He raised a hand to his face and a white light blinked in front of him. Then it settled and revealed the new Aistra.

This new one was exactly the same as the original, except for the skin color and eyes. He was deathly pale, shining like dew on grass. But his eyes were the worst part. They were a bright yellow that bore into Sorine's soul.

She immediately leaped off the bed and grabbed the closest crossbow. Turning, she aimed it at him.

Then something wrapped around the crossbow and yanked it from her grasp.

Aistra held his cane and spun. It now had a long whip coming from it, like a projection of the handle.

"It's a shame" said the vampire throwing a robe over his figure. "You were incredibly good in bed. But one of your group killed Jawil. It's time we returned the favor."

Sorine tried to get another crossbow, but Aistra struck. He threw his whip and wrapped the coil around her leg. Pulling her off balance, he leaped onto her fallen frame.

"Maybe we can go again" he muttered grinning wildly. "I need something else to do."

She punched him in the face and he slapped her.

"Bitch. I was going to be gentle about this, but now I'm going to strangle you."

Sorine head-butted him and he moved back.

The alchemist leaped to her feet and tried to run for the door.

Aistra wrapped the whip around her neck and pulled it taut. She gasped as all air exited her lungs.

She turned and collapsed, trying to loosen the bond around her neck. He was killing her just like he said he would.

She grabbed the whip and pulled it as hard as she could.

This succeeded in ripping it from the vampire's grasp and releasing the tension.

She got up and grabbed the handle. She twirled it and snapped it at him.

Aistra whipped his head to the side and felt the cut in his cheek. "Wow. Nice shot."

She sprinted at him and kicked him in the chest. He stepped backwards and she punched him in the neck.

Aistra backed up and slammed into the window. It erupted and left a huge hole in it.

Sorine raised her hand to strike him, but he kicked out her knee. She collapsed and the vampire grabbed her.

"I'm going to punish you so badly" he grunted through blood.

She spat in his face and punched him in the testicles.

Aistra let her go and she twirled the whip.

She wrapped it around his neck and gripped it tight. Then she raised her leg and smashed him in the chest.

The vampire fell out of the window and flew down to the earth. Then he stopped dead when the whip caught.

Sorine looked out and noted the hanging vampire.

"Damn. Just when he was getting really good" she muttered dropping the cane and the body.


	16. Chapter 16

Sorine threw a robe over her body and walked out into the hallway. She had to tell Isran what had happened. Obviously the security in this place was getting terrible.

"Damn. This isn't even my good robe" she noted with despair. This night was getting worse by the second.

She stopped and looked into the foyer in shock. Isran was dueling with some other vampire right in the center, throwing his hammer around like a stick. The vampire seemed to be laughing and having a great time.

"Ha, ha, ha! This is an amazing fight!" yelled the vampire leaping back, just barely missing getting clobbered in the face. He had this lime green hair that looked incredibly weird, but fitting on his head.

"Shit" she murmured raising her crossbow. "I gotta help him."

The vampire turned to her and grinned. "Oh, lucky me. Aistra must've called it cahoots and let you live. Awesome!"

He sprinted at her, shifting his white robe around him.

Isran leaped in the way and smashed the ground with his warhammer. It split the floor and made the vampire fly backwards.

Nephario landed and grinned up at them. "Wanna protect your girly-friend eh? Can't say I blame you. She's one hot bitch."

Someone ran into the room. His Dawnguard armor was on halfway, but he looked ready to fight. His blonde hair was messy on his head and his face was bowed.

"Ah, Agmaer, time to prove your stuff!" yelled Isran raising his hammer. "Wait, didn't I send you to do some patrolling?"

Agmaer looked up and revealed something was off about him. His eyes were a deep black, with no iris or corona. His face had this blank stare on it, like it had no idea what kind of face it wanted to make.

"Agmaer..?"

The apprentice opened his mouth and a red liquid poured out. It was like raspberry syrup, almost a purple in color. It went down to his chest and more began to come out.

"Gods above" murmured Sorine horrified.

Agmaer shuddered and collapsed. Something rose form his back, like a lump. Then it settled and more black liquid came out. Eventually it covered his upper torso, then his entire body. It formed like a mound of mud on top of him, disguising what was going on underneath it.

Nephario looked at the quivering mass and smiled. "Ah, I wish I knew that technique."

Something rose from the mound of red fluid. It was a hand. Despite all odds, it was completely clean of the filth around it.

The hand stretched and got to an arm. Then a shoulder and a torso came out. After that it became obvious what was underneath it.

Aistra stepped from the mound of fluid like a set of stairs. He wasn't completely naked, since he had some odd skin-tight shorts on, but he was definitely shirtless. He looked exactly the same as before, including his eye and skin color.

The recently born vampire whipped his hair to the side, smiling at the stunned Dawnguard. "Ah yes, my most favored technique. I love using it so much. I use their mass to make my body. It is so useful when they can't fight against it."

"What in Oblivion?" muttered Isran.

"Oh, simple answer" replied Aistra. "This is a technique from Lady Boethiah. I inherited it as a passing fancy."

Nephario nodded. "Yeah, now if we could keep this fight…"

The vampires stopped suddenly. They both began to look into the sky, which was visible from a few windows.

"Damn. Sunrise is only a little while away" said the madman disappointed.

"Shame. But we must be off."

Aistra twirled and his clothes appeared on him. It was like smoke had been in the ground and then congealed back into a solid form. He tipped his hat. "Good day."

Isran stared at them. "Are you serious?"

"Very" replied Nephario disappointed. "I hate this, but I can't fight during the day. Screw you all."

The doctor extracted a small sphere from his shirt and threw it on the ground. It released a large flash, but nothing else.

"Odd" muttered Aistra. "Your smoke bomb isn't working."

"Hmm. Experiment 79 utter failure" noted Nephario disappointed. "I guess we'll just run then."

Then they both turned and sprinted out of the fort.

Isran sheathed his hammer and sighed.

"Check the rest of the fort" he ordered to Sorine. "Make sure we don't have any leftovers."

Someone walked in, someone who looked utterly astonished. He had a single pauldron on his armor that appeared to be a solid steel plate. He had blonde messy hair that hung into his grey eyes, accompanied by ashy skin.

"What in Oblivion was that back there?" asked Celann pointing backwards. "I was just getting back from my mission when I saw Agmaer stumble in here, then these two guys in weird clothes ran out here. Were they vampires?"

"Yes" answered Isran slightly tired. "It appears that we may need some more men to defend the fort."

The Breton male nodded. "I can get us a couple at a moment's notice. All I need is a carriage."

"Done. Go immediately."

Celann nodded and adjusted his shoulder plate. "I'll be off then."


	17. Chapter 17

Celann inhaled the smoke from his pipe, eyeing the road in front of him. He was grateful to be outside of the fort. He despised it really. He belonged in the wild and rough, where anything could happen.

Oddly enough, the Breton wasn't a warrior or a hunter. He only carried a small axe with him, and that was only a complimentary weapon. He was a spellsword, one of the few in the Dawnguard. He specialized in Destruction and Conjuration. The others were fine with Destruction, but many didn't trust him because of his skill in summoning undead. Florentius personally despised him and didn't really care for him. Celann didn't care what they thought.

He stopped in the town of Ivarstead and got off the carriage. Everyone recognized him as a member of the Dawnguard and welcomed him warmly. Because he didn't appear intimidating, no one gave him a nervous glance or a glare. He had a smile on his face and seemed genuinely happy to be there.

To be honest, Celann liked the people in little towns like these. Simple, hard-working, and honest. He liked all three traits of them.

He noticed someone was bringing in a haul from a hunt earlier. It was a large deer that had only two arrows in it. Fairly impressive considering that they were simple iron arrows.

"Hmm. It appears I'm right on time" he murmured to himself.

He walked over to the huntress dragging it and gave her a smile. "Not every day you get a kill like that."

The huntress glared up at him, before recognizing him instantly.

"Celann!" she cried wrapping her arms around him.

He laughed and returned it warmly.

The huntress was a young Bosmer who wore standard leather armor for a nimble adventurer. She carried a large Elven bow that gleamed in the sunlight temptingly. Her hair was in a simple braid that ran to the middle of her shoulders. Celann had known her for years as Beleval.

"So, how goes the quiet life?" he asked releasing her from the hug.

She smiled at him. "It's nice. Hunting is pretty good around here, especially with all bears."

"Ever thought on hunting vampires?" inquired Celann casually.

She looked at him and frowned. "Couldn't even buy a girl a drink before you drop something like that, could you?"

The Breton shrugged.

The Bosmer huntress sighed. "I already told you why I don't want to hunt these things. They're evil, wicked humans who turned into beasts. It's not my place to kill them."

"You can make it your place" countered Celann.

"Well maybe I don't want to" snapped Beleval.

She stopped and wiped some dirt off her cheek. "Sorry. It's just that…I don't have the guts to kill another person."

"You said it yourself. They're not people" argued the Breton.

"But they look like people."

The spellsword pointed to the deer. "I bet you were disgusted the first time you killed one."

"Celann…"

"Then when you did it a few times, you got used to it. It became a part of you, like you saw it as natural."

He pointed to the Dawnguard crest on his chest. "This…this is natural. Humans hunting down the beasts who attack them. Granted certain members go…overboard, we still are doing a natural thing."

The Bosmer sighed and gripped her slain deer. "Let's get a drink first."

They eventually sold her deer (for a pretty good amount of money) and walked into the local inn. Some goons were celebrating some victory over a dragon raid or something, but they really didn't care too much.

Celann ordered them two drinks and sat beside her. She looked like she was debating an internal question.

"Beleval" he finally said after five minutes of silence. "You know how vampires work. They attack unguarded places first, then move up the food chain. Pretty soon Ivarstead will be attacked. And you'll either fight them, die, or flee. Now I must ask, which will you do?"

The Bosmer stared at him in shock. She obviously hadn't considered it. "I'll…I'll flee."

He looked at her surprised. He hadn't anticipated this.

Beleval turned back to her drink. Only then did he see that she had tears falling from her eyes.

"I just…I can't get in a fight. I'm…too scared. I'm…afraid. Afraid of dying. Every time I fight, I'm so scared I can't even think!"

She bowed her head and began to sob. "Just leave me alone. Go on your little journey or whatever. I'm not going with you. Nor will I join your stupid Dawnguard. I'm too much of a coward to fight."

Celann looked at her like a friend looks at another. Then he spoke.

"I too am afraid."

She stopped and looked at him. "What?"

He smiled "I'm scared to die. How could I not? Everyone fears death. You know me. I can't see out of one of my eyes."

He revealed his right eye, showing that the iris and corona was completely white. It didn't focus or do anything when he moved his head.

"I can barely take a step without being afraid. But that's what makes me strong. I fear death so badly, I do anything to prevent it. It keeps me humble. Even as a conjurer, I acknowledge that death is the one thing we all fear. Every resurrected thing I ever controlled told me so. They feared death even after they died."

Beleval stared at him, captivated by his words. She was so utterly surprised he shared the same fears.

He smiled at her, covering his blind eye up with his hair again. "I won't force you to come with me. If you wish to stay, then I respect…"

"No" she muttered turning back to her drink. "You're right. Those things will attack Ivarstead one day, and I'll have to make my stand here. But I won't do that. I won't allow everything I know and love die. I'll…I'll follow you."

She grasped his hand. "I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if you ask me to."

He gave a small smile. "Good. But we don't need to go to the ends of the earth today. We need to head to Markarth."


	18. Chapter 18

Florentius walked down the road, whistling a small tune to himself. He had a fairly comfortable night at the inn at Falkreach and wanted to head back home. Granted he wanted to do so as leisurely as possible. No point in rushing.

He stopped when he heard a carriage. He hoped it wasn't some Imperial Legion or a Stormcloak brigade coming to him. How he despised their little conflict. Granted he could just pass by. Most people don't mess with a priest.

He looked down the road and saw who was in the carriage. It wasn't any of his former suspicions.

"Ugh. Celann" he murmured.

It wasn't that he didn't like Celann as a person. The spellsword was actually fairly nice and a gentlemen. He just didn't like his skill with the undead. It was slightly unnerving.

Celann looked up and noticed him.

"Ah, Florentius. I thought I'd find you here" stated the spellsword calmly He had a pretty Bosmer next to him who appeared to be a huntress.

"Really? How could you tell?" asked the priest.

"I felt this odd presence on the road. I had hoped it was someone friendly. Glad you're here then."

Florentius wasn't sure what to make of that comment. It was pretty neutral as far as he could tell.

"Well, I must be off" stated the priest. "Good luck on your journey."

"Wait!" exclaimed Celann. "I was hoping you would hop along."

Florentius smiled. "Well, if you're involved chances are then it's interesting. What exactly are you doing?"

"Cashing in some favors" explained the Bosmer.

"Ah, I must apologize" said the priest humbly. "What is your name, my fair Elf?"

"Beleval" she answered smiling at him.

"Beautiful name. Now I think I will join you two."

The priest hopped into the back gracefully, despite the robes he wore.

"Where exactly are we going anyway?"

"Markarth" answered Celann.

"Hmm."

It took them only a day to reach Markarth. There was practically no one on the road, except for this odd brigade of people dressed in steel armor. One of them was a Bosmer similar to Beleval. The main difference was that the other Bosmer was far shorter, possible only four feet tall. She also had a Glass bow.

"Jealous" muttered the Dawnguard huntress enviously.

"Don't worry. We can have Gunmar craft you something better" said Celann.

She pouted and said nothing more.

When they got there, they immediately went to the inn. Florentius was getting fairly tired and decided to ask a question.

"Who exactly are we getting from this place?" he asked in disgust. He despised the stone structures of this place. It made it feel like the walls would just crush you at any second. Not a great feeling for an inn or a city in general.

"He's an old friend" stated Celann.

They sat at the bar for a while, waiting for this old friend to appear. Florentius refused to touch anything besides water, hoping to keep as sober as possible. The other two only had the occasional drink, just enough to keep hydrated.

"I don't think he's coming" stated Beleval grimly.

"He will. He loves drinking" countered Celann.

"Sounds like a wonderful old friend" murmured Florentius.

Finally someone appeared in the crowd. He had sloppy brown hair that complimented his pale skin. He wore a loose fitting tunic over his large frame. He appeared to be pouring mead down his throat at an alarming rate.

"That could be him" said Celann.

"Or it could be the average participant in this bar" muttered the priest.

The spellsword tapped a Dunmer to his left and pointed at the heavy drinker. "Who's he?"

The Dunmer looked rather odd. He had this black jacket on top of a grey shirt and pants. He had a hood over his head that appeared to be made of bandages.

"Him?" said the elf in a dry voice. "He's Ollrod. It appears that he's drinking the inn's stock away as we speak."

"Yep. That's Ollrod" muttered Celann.

"He's going to get kicked out of the bar in a matter of seconds" stated the Dunmer calmly.

Just then the owner began to yell at Ollrod, something about his stock of mead. The Nord glanced at him and snarled.

The owner shrank back and began to walk out of the door.

"The owner is getting the guards" explained the Dunmer.

Celann groaned. "Great. We have to make a distraction."

He turned to the Dunmer. "Punch the guy next to you in the face."

The Elf didn't even question him. He just turned and swung his fist.

The guy was knocked to the ground, stunned.

The Dunmer grabbed the stool the guy was on and threw it across the bar. It smashed into a large warrior and made him fall to the ground.

Suddenly the entire bar exploded in a huge brawl. Everyone began to swing at anyone they decided they didn't like. Ollrod was no exception.

Celann grabbed him and glared into his eyes.

"Ollrod!" he yelled over the ruckus.

The Nord stared at him. "Celann?"

"Come with me, now!"

The warrior nodded. "Where's a way out?"

The Dunmer pointed to the left. "This way!"

The group sprinted out of the fighting zone, making it deeper into the building. They stopped when they reached a corner.

"Shit. We're lost" murmured Ollrod.

"Not exactly" stated the Dunmer.

He cracked his fist and smashed it into a metal grate on the wall. It gave way and he grabbed something on the other side.

Suddenly the stones of one wall shifted, revealing a door. It did so near silently, like it was designed as a backdoor.

"Fire exit" explained the Elf opening the door. Inside was a simple metal ladder that led far upwards into darkness.

They began to climb, closing the door behind them. A simple button on the side closed the stones again, leaving them in darkness.

"One sec. Let me get a light" stated the Elf at the top of the ladder.

He lit a flames spell and began to climb with one hand. The others followed, trusting this stranger completely.

They reached the top and the Dunmer smashed the trap door. It gave way to sunlight, telling them they had escaped.

Celann got out of the hole and looked around. They were at the top of the structure of buildings, near the Temple of Dibella.

"That was awesome" he stated looking at the Dunmer. "How did you know that existed?"

The Elf grinned. "Someone like me has uses for such exits."

He showed off a small bag of coins. It had the seal of the Silver-Blood Inn on it, and it looked heavy.

"Good thing they left this out" stated the Dunmer happily. "It's normally impossible to grab it when the owner is standing there, but that fight was just the distraction I needed."

Celann didn't appreciate the thievery, but he was glad he got out of that place without shackles on his wrists.

Ollrod joined him and whistled. He had never seen the city like this before. Despite being slightly tipsy, he wasn't bothered by the heights.

Beleval finally got up and looked around. "Where's Florentius?"

"Down here" stated the priest still climbing. "My robe got caught on the ladder."

The Dunmer quickly put the bag of coins away and extended a hand.

Florentius grabbed it and the Elf easily lifted him out of the hole with only one arm. He was obviously stronger then he looked.

When the priest was nice and safe on top of the roof, the Dunmer stood. "Well, I must be off gentlemen. And lady. For a gentleman's work is never done."

He then leaped off the building and landed on the walkway below. Rolling, he jumped into the huge river near the forge of the town.

"Impressive. A shame we didn't recruit him" muttered Florentius.

"You wouldn't like him" stated Celann positive about it. He turned to Ollrod.

"Speaking of which…"

The Nord held up a hand. "Say no more. I know what you want Celann. And I'll be happy to join you guys. I needed to get a change in scenery anyway. Stone doesn't suit someone of my talents."

"Amen" said the priest liking Ollrod even more. "Let's get back home."


	19. Chapter 19

Nephario looked over the contents of the table before him. He had several different limbs of various creatures before him, which were all promptly removed from their previous owners. Many had tear marks from where he had made the incisions.

"Hmm, perhaps some bear claws?" he debated lifting a massive paw. "Then I could finally get something out of that sabre cat torso I saved. But what kind of head would I use? I could just skip the head and give it some generic things on the torso. Could that work?"

He thought about it. "Yeah, it could. But what would I give it for legs?"

Nephario was infamous among the vampires for being the most insane. This gave him a position as one of Lord Harkon's personal soldiers. He wasn't the favorite, he knew this, but he was the best scientific advisor in the group.

One odd thing about him was his recent eye patch. It was covered in blood, but he didn't seem bothered. It was a purposeful addition to his body.

Someone walked in, someone that doctor didn't like.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Vingalmo in his nasally, annoying voice.

"Your mother Elf" growled Nephario.

They had instinctively hated each other since the doctor had joined. Nephario was a Nord, and Vingalmo was an Altmer. It was a hatred born in heaven.

"I doubt you are actually anywhere near my mother you idiot, but I must ask you give me back my skeever teeth. I need it for my own personal experiments."

"Screw your experiments. I'm making important discoveries here."

"You're chopping up a bunch of animals and sewing them back together."

Nephario turned and glared at him. Only then did Vingalmo see that look in his eye. His eye was literally jittering with excitement over the blood and gore he had at his hands. His face was formed into a large grin, flashing his fangs.

"Don't. Interrupt. Me" stated the doctor trying to keep his voice level. "I'm busy. Leave."

Vingalmo took a step back. He was incredibly terrified of this man. Despite the fact that Vingalmo was a Vampire Lord as well, he didn't trust Nephario. He knew that the Nord was truly, utterly insane.

The Altmer walked out of the room and the doctor turned back to his table. "Good. Now, perhaps some altered goat legs? Hmm, decisions, decisions."

Vingalmo collected himself outside of Nephario's room. He was astonished about how he felt. He actually felt fear towards the Nord, more than he ever felt. Normally his pride kept him composed, but this time it didn't work.

"The doc scaring ya?" asked Aistra leaning on a pillar. He was twirling a small dagger in his hands, toying with it casually. Ever since he had taken over that Dawnguard kid he had small bits of white in his hair where the original had blonde. It was a minor side effect of the transformation.

"That idiot is beginning to test me" stated Vingalmo angrily.

The Imperial grinned. "He does that. Granted, he looks pretty good when he gets worked up."

The Altmer suddenly remembered what Aistra was. The Imperial was the aspect of Lust.

"I'm grateful we got you as a replacement" stated the Elf honestly. "The previous aspect of Lust, Galarosh, was an utter dick. You're alright."

The Imperial put a hand over his mouth. "You're making me blush."

Vingalmo was getting slightly nervous. "I, uh, gotta go."

"Then go babe. I won't stop you."

The Altmer quickly walked off while Aistra looked him over. "Hmm. Hard to get."

He looked up and spun the dagger. "I like that."

"I bet you do" said a voice from beside him.

Aistra turned and saw that Geir was standing beside him. The aspect of Despair had his hood on, but had removed the bandages around his mouth, revealing his rough jawline. Unlike most vampires, he appeared pretty old. His skin was completely grey, being a Dunmer, and he had deep yellow eyes. His hair was a light silver that was cut neatly from his face and ears.

"Ah, what's up with you?" asked the Imperial draping an arm over him.

Geir brushed it aside. "Nothing. I did, however, find someone we can add to our ranks."

"Splendid. Male or female?"

"Male."

"Ah, good. I can't control myself around…fresh meat" stated the aspect of Lust licking his lips.

Geir knew about his habits. Aistra had actually killed several vampires when he tried to satisfy his hunger.

"Lord Harkon has asked that one of us go fetch him" stated the aspect of Despair calmly. "He doesn't care who."

"Hmm. I'm too busy doing…things" muttered Aistra grinning. "Let's just say I got a casserole in the oven and leave it at that."

Geir knew instantly what he meant. The Imperial was infamous for capturing people and locking them in his room. A few vapor bombs later and they were ready for 'playtime'.

"I think Dazen offered to do it" clarified Geir. "I don't know though. He does whatever he wants."

The aspect of Despair shrugged. "I could care less who gets this new guy."

"Well if he's replacing Jawil, he must be pretty cruel or crazy" stated Aistra. "Good. I could do with crazy."

"Didn't that Dawnguard woman satisfy your hunger for even a little?" asked the Dunmer curiously.

"Well, she did. Then she broke my neck and made me take a new body."

He flexed his hand, showing a section of it that hadn't fully transformed. It was brighter than the paleness around it and looked like a stain on his skin.

"Ugh, this takes forever to fully work" he murmured disgusted. "Not to mention this kid is a virgin. It's going to be interesting when my casserole is done."

Geir got tired of this talk and began to walk away. Aistra looked up and smiled.

"So how's Firthi?" he asked jokingly.

The Dunmer stopped and glared back at him. It was so full of hate that it changed the eye color to deep black.

"Don't even mention her you scum" stated Geir snarling.

Aistra shrugged. "Fine. Go on your way then."

The aspect of Despair continued and the aspect of Lust smiled.

"I think my casseroles done" he muttered walking back to his room.


	20. Chapter 20

Kah and Zoh were walking down the road, laughing and joking each other as they went. The raid on the vampire encampment was a complete success. They had killed at least a dozen and taken a bunch of gold and loot. It was a happy day.

"Man, did you see that Master Vampire at the end?" reminded Zoh chuckling. "Especially when I hit him with my sword?"

Kah nodded and made a splattering noise.

Zoh held up his newest weapon, a large Glass greatsword. "I don't trust things that are made from glass, but I think this is a bit stronger."

"No crap" stated Kah holding his Ebony battleax. "There's a reason people use it."

They stopped when they saw something in front of them. It appeared to be a collapsed cart. The horse that was probably towing it a little while ago was lying dead beside it.

"Wow. Wonder what happened?" said Zoh not too alarmed. These things do happen, after all.

Kah went over to examine the debris. "Legion attack."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. These bodies are Stormcloaks. Who else attacks them?"

"Me, for example."

They turned and saw that someone was standing in a tree beside them. He had a long black piece of cloth around him that whipped in the wind. His hair was long and black, accenting the attire he wore. On his head was a white circlet with a small skull at the center. His eyes glowed yellow, and that gave him away.

"Vampire" muttered the Orcs at the same time.

Suddenly he was right there behind them. They both began to turn before they felt a pain in their legs.

Zoh screamed in pain and grabbed his leg. It felt like it had been ripped from its socket and the muscles had been severed. He literally couldn't move it.

Kah grasped his leg. He didn't feel the same pain as his brother, but he couldn't control his leg as well.

"Hmm. So you resisted it the most?" asked Dazen mildly surprised. "I guess you will do."

"What are you talking about?" demanded the elder Orc.

He swung his axe at him, hoping to catch him.

Dazen sidestepped the axe and grabbed Kah by the shirt. Lifting him off his knees, he held him above his head.

"Hmm. Been too long since we had one of your kind with us" stated the vampire calmly.

Then he brought the Orc to his mouth and bit him in the neck.

"Brother!" cried Zoh. He groaned. His leg was pulsating with pain. He couldn't move.

Kah felt the vampire's cold saliva flood into his system, chilling his bones. He shuddered, feeling it begin to take over his systems.

"Your resistance is incredible" admired Dazen. "But that won't matter. Where we're going, the disease is in the air itself."

Zoh roared and swung his sword. He had finally recovered enough to move, but he still felt the pain.

Dazen dodged, not even dropping Kah in the process. He slung the twitching Orc over his shoulder and flicked his left wrist.

His jacket curled itself up to reveal his pale hand and wrist. Then he lashed out and grabbed Zoh's arm.

The younger Orc screamed in agony, but the vampire didn't let go.

Zoh stared at his arm and noticed what Dazen was doing. He was flooding his body with magicka and turning it into ice. It was an amazing technique to say the least.

"A mix of Destruction and Alteration" stated the vampire calmly. "Hard to accomplish, but very useful. You're probably experiencing agonizing pain right now. Feel your blood literally freeze in your veins."

He gripped his arm harder and Zoh collapsed to his knees. "It's unbearable isn't it? I could freeze your arm solid if I wanted to."

The younger Orc said nothing. He was storing up his energy to strike back.

"Don't."

They both looked over at Kah, who was still slung over the vampire's shoulders. The elder was moving his lips, despite the feeling he had coursing inside of him.

"Don't kill my brother. Take me. Just leave him alone."

Dazen let go of Zoh's arm and readjusted Kah on his shoulder. "Noble of you. I appreciate that. We need someone like you anyway."

He turned to leave, letting Kah's head face his brother.

The elder Orc looked at his brother, smiling despite his conditions. Zoh had tears in his eyes, not over the pain in his arm, but the one in his heart.

"Don't go. Stay" begged the younger Orc.

"Sorry brother. I must go" stated Kah. "Just remember: Strike back. Save me."

Then Dazen vanished, taking Kah with him.


	21. Chapter 21

Kah was literally thrown into a room, bouncing when he hit the ground. He glared up at his captors who promptly closed the door on him.

"You better look away you sons of bitches!" he yelled smashed his fist into the door. It was incredibly thick and barely shuddered when he hit.

"Damn it. This is how I end" he muttered feeling the bite mark on his neck. He felt the disease literally eat into his system. It felt disgusting.

"Or it could be how you begin" stated a voice inside the cell.

Kah turned and saw that someone else was with him. The person was dressed in regal robes that shone red in the light. His hair was long and deep brown and held back with a crown of gold. His eyes however, were not royal. They were the eyes of a vampire, of an animal.

"Lord Harkon" guessed the Orc.

"Correct. You are brighter then I imagined" stated the Master Vampire Lord standing up from his seat.

The Orc tightened his fists. He may be weakened, poisoned, and unarmed, but he had one goal in mind: Kill bitches. Repeat.

Harkon smiled at him, noting the Orc's aggressive stance. "I am impressed with your fighting spirit. It reflects how strong you are."

"I don't care what you think" spat Kah. "I'm going to kill you. Then I'm going to get back to my brother. And get this vampire shit out of me!"

"Hmm. Duly noted" commented Harkon. "It is shit isn't it?"

The Orc was surprised. "What?"

"Well, it is from one of my pure-bloods" explained the Imperial calmly. "You could do worse, believe me. But it's still not the pure stuff. The kind of stuff that I have."

"What are you saying?"

Harkon gave a grin and the Orc's sanity slipped. His vision shuddered and he literally couldn't think.

"I'm saying that my blood is the cream of the crop. In it is the key to being the most powerful being on Nirn. Like me."

"Like you?"

"Why yes."

Kah shook his head, disconnecting eye contact with the vampire. "No deal. This stuff is poison. It turns you into an animal."

"An animal? Perhaps. But aren't people animals too? Animals with intelligence? And aren't vampires fairly intelligent? So what's the difference between these animals you call vampires and people?"

"Vampires crave people. People crave animals."

"Heh, you're smart boy. But I hate to reveal something to you."

Suddenly the sun flowing through the window seemed dimmer. The room began to darken, starting at where Harkon was. It felt ice cold, like nothing had ever warmed this room before.

"Vampires are the hunters. People are the prey" snarled Harkon. He let his fangs flash.

"You are deluding yourself into thinking that people are the true masters. If that were so, why were vampires made?"

The vampire leaned forward, letting a shadow fall over his face. "Allow me to open your eyes."

Suddenly Kah's vision was distorted. He was no longer in a room inside of a castle. He was in a road beaten by many feet. In front of him was a burning series of structures. He recognized it instantly. It was his stronghold he had grown up in.

He turned and looked around. This wasn't like the memory before. The grass was red and the sky was black. The only thing similar was the large crescent moon hanging over him. Besides the flames, it was the only light.

And his brother wasn't with him.

He heard a scream coming from the stronghold. It was his brother.

"ZOH! I'M COMING!" he yelled sprinting towards it. Whatever this was, he didn't care. It felt so real. Like he was really there back when his home burned down.

He ran past the bodies of people he knew. They had been slain by unknown people, he remembered. But these were obvious victims of vampires. Their throats had been ripped out by teeth and drained of blood. He knew the signs well enough.

He made it to the gate, noting the people spiked to it. They were crucified to them, spreading their blood all the way around it.

"Malacath help me" he murmured to himself.

He saw someone burst from a house, chased by someone else. The first person was an Orc, someone he faintly recognized.

The second person leaped on the first and ripped into his back. Throwing blood into the sky, the second person laughed with joy.

"NO!" yelled Kah running. He swung his fist and hit the second person in the chin.

The assaulter exploded in a mass of gore and blood, but Kah didn't take note of this. He turned to the Orc and saw what it really was. It wasn't his brother, like he feared, but just some random Orc.

He looked up and saw someone was holding off three vampires in the center of the stronghold. He held a huge warhammer and was swinging it rapidly. He was shouting war cries and covered in blood. Kah recognized him instantly.

"FATHER!" he exclaimed running to him.

His father looked up and stared in awe at his son. It was like he hadn't been expecting him.

"_Get out, now!"_ ordered his father. _"There's too many of…"_

One vampire leaped on his father and tore into his neck.

"FATHER!"

His father grabbed the vampire and threw him off. Only then did the other two strike.

Kah watched as the vampires overwhelmed his father, tearing into his body like ravenous beasts. It was something he didn't even see before, but now got every grotesque detail on.

When the vampires were done, they looked up at Kah and grinned.

One of them pointed towards the mountain that oversaw the camp. _"He's up there."_

Kah turned and looked up. Then he gasped.

Standing at the top of the mountain stood Zoh, his brother. He was standing directly in front of the crescent moon, making it obvious it was him.

"BROTHER!" cried Kah.

Zoh looked down at him, tears in his eyes. Only then did the elder notice the man behind him.

The man spun a large scythe and laughed maniacally. It sounded a lot like Jawil, but he couldn't tell at that range.

"_Say goodbye!"_ screamed 'Jawil' hysterically.

"_Goodbye. Brother"_ whispered Zoh. Despite the immense distance between them, Kah heard every syllable.

'Jawil' raised the scythe and cleaved Zoh clean in two.

Kah felt his brother's blood hit his face, but he kept his stare. He was too horrified to move.

"NO!" he screamed into the sky.

He turned and saw that there were more bodies crucified to the walls of different houses.

One of them was odd. It was bare form the waist up and had incredibly pale skin. Obviously it wasn't an Orc because of this one detail.

The corpse shifted its head, looking up at Kah. It had blood all over its face, but it was obvious who it was.

"_I hope you're enjoying the first second of your visit"_ stated Harkon grinning madly.

"First second?" whispered Kah horrified.

"_Why yes. We still have three days here. Don't you know that?"_

Harkon leaned forward, letting blood from his open wounds flow into his mouth and eyes.

"_After all, aren't you the strong one?"_

Kah screamed and everything turned black.

"_Hmm. Weaker then I imagined then. Ah well, let's run it again."_


	22. Chapter 22

Kah opened his eyes and stared into blackness. He felt like he was underwater, especially since he couldn't breathe.

He gurgled for air and tried to force his way through it. He managed to hit it with the top of his head and he pushed upwards.

The ooze parted back from his face and he finally was able to breathe. He gasped and gulped in precious oxygen.

He looked around frantically. He was in an unknown room, inside a deep pool of black ooze. At the edge was Harkon, who looked at him curiously.

"So you survived my mental exercise did you?" asked the Master Vampire Lord smiling. "I knew your mind was strong."

Kah looked at him and remembered what he had seen. He had seen his brother, his father, his entire stronghold die in more ways than he thought possible. It was the worst thing he ever had gone through.

And Harkon didn't even lay a finger on him.

"You really are interesting. I sense something inside of you that keeps you alive. What is this thing?"

Kah looked at him and narrowed his eyes. "I want to see my brother again. And I want…this fucking bullshit out of my head!"

He felt the disease inside of him pulsate and he gasped. It was like his skull had a miniature explosion going on inside of it.

"Are you sure? Didn't you see what I did to you? Your entire mind was under my control. You were helpless against me."

Kah didn't have an answer to that. He was still trying to keep himself afloat.

"I hope you realize that I chose you. You're strong. You are one of the few who survived my technique. Granted your mental condition is probably poor at this point. Repetitive psychological trauma will do that to a person. But your physical condition is marvelous. You resisted Lord Dazen's paralysis technique without using certain methods of treatment. That is very impressive."

He kneeled down and offered his hand.

"So please. Allow me to show what I can teach you to become. Just let me give you a sample. And if you don't like it, you can leave. No problems involved."

Kah was tempted, but he was certain he would drown if he didn't do something. So really, he didn't have much of a choice.

He grasped Harkon's hand, surprised how cold it was. Even for a vampire it was ice cold.

The Master Vampire Lord easily extracted him from the pool and smiled at him. "I understand you think that I gave you an impossible question. But the next one isn't. I promise."

Kah looked down at him. Despite the consistency of the ooze he was just in, it didn't so much as leave a mark. He wasn't even wet.

"What was I in?" asked the Orc looking back at the pool. Now that he saw it, it looked more like a deep red then black.

"Oh, just a little compound I made up" stated Harkon calmly. "It helps, well, deal with the vampire problem. I put you in there three days ago. It should've reduced the effects of the bloodlust inside of you."

Kah looked at himself. He looked normal, except for a slight ashy complexion in his skin. Definitely not a full stage vampire yet.

"How?" inquired the Orc.

"No point in knowing if you aren't interesting" pointed out Harkon. "Please, come with me."

They walked out of the little room and went into a hallway. Harkon walked with the authority of a king, occupying the middle of the hallway.

A few servants bowed their heads as he walked, not even glancing up to look at Kah. It was like they knew what he was and feared him.

They stopped at one door and stepped inside.

The vampire in the room looked up, then bowed.

"Lord Harkon. I am pleasantly surprised by your visit" stated the vampire calmly. He was an Argonian male dressed in purple robes that made him appear regal. As a vampire, he looked extremely serpentine and had long fangs that extended past his lower jaw.

"My dear, sweet Yin'var, it is so good to see you" said Harkon spread his arms. He then enveloped the lizard in a hug.

Yin'var was surprised by this and he looked disgusted too. It was like the presence of another person made him sick.

Harkon let go and smiled again. "Now, are you ready for a presentation?"

"Of course Lord Harkon" stated the Argonian bowing.

The room they were in was obviously the living quarters of Yin'var. It had a few chairs around, but the main features were the paintings. They lined the walls and were all portraits. The main thing that made them odd was that they were all half-finished. And not 'got tired of working, whatever' kind of half-finished. This was a complete half-painting, like it had been cut in half. The finished side was perfect, lighting and shading done correctly. So it was little odd how the other side was plain white.

"What presentation?" asked Kah looking at the Argonian.

Yin'var smiled. "A little sample of what we Vampire Lords can do. It's only fair to show you, since we are giving you the choice to join us."

He stretched his claws and put a hand in front of his face.

"Allow me to show you."

Something shifted in his face and the Argonian lowered his hand.

The right side of his face was now black, covered in onyx scales. His eyes were a deep orange that shone bright in the limited light. His fangs were now jagged and appeared to be serrated.

He turned his head and the black scales spread over like a liquid. They covered his entire head and moved onto his torso and neck.

The lizard arched his back and the black scales began to shift. His claws extended to nearly a foot long and curved inwards.

When the blackness had stopped moving, Yin'var looked like a black mamba. He smiled up at Kah and licked his lips (or frontal mouth parts. Argonian technically don't have lips).

"I see you're astonished. But that's not the best part."

He dropped to a knee and smoke began to trail from the Argonian's scales. It grew so thick that his body was no longer visible.

The smoke dissipated and revealed that the Argonian was no longer there.

Kah looked around, trying to find the lizard.

He turned to Harkon. 'What is this magic?"

"Oh, it's magic alright" stated a voice from behind him.

The Orc turned and saw that Yin'var was behind him, a claw nearly next to his throat. He was still smoking, but it was obvious he was there.

"Is this common for a Vampire Lord?" asked Kah turning to Harkon again.

"Oh, not really" explained the Master Vampire Lord. "This is because of Lord Yin'var and his natural stealth abilities. Now people like you, you become like a stone. Nothing can stop you. Even Lord Yin'var can stop a knife. But you…"

He grinned. "You can take a spear to the chest."

As if to demonstrate his point, he drew his sword and stabbed Yin'var in the stomach.

The Argonian smiled, not even bothered by the blade. "Is that your good sword Lord Harkon?"

"No. My good one would have killed anything. This is my second blade."

Kah was still staring at the black scales of the Argonian. The blade he had been stabbed with was actually chiseled.

"Is this the power you offer me?" asked the Orc curious.

"Are you asking for some?" returned Harkon smiling.

"Perhaps. What else can I do?"

Harkon scoffed. "You want more? After everything I have shown you?"

He grinned. "Let me point something out to you. Your brother is out there. He is scared that I am killing you right now. He thinks that you are dying. Imagine the joy you he will feel if you find out you're alive."

"You said I could say no" reminded Kah. "You said I could leave."

"Why yes, go on" stated Harkon waving to the door. "Leave. Go on, with this disease in your veins. You'll have maybe three days before you go on a rage and kill everything around you. You might survive to get your brother. Foaming at the mouth and gasping for blood. Then he kills you because he has no other choice. Can you imagine the pain he will feel when he kills you? The guilt that would destroy him."

Kah was staring at him in horror. He hadn't thought about that at all.

"Surprised? Obviously you didn't think your plan through."

He leaned close to the Orc, putting his mouth close to his lips. "I offer you a chance to live for a little longer while still being a human. You will retain your sanity, and if things go right, you will go away much stronger."

He backed up and smiled at Kah. "But that depends. What is it you really want?"

The Orc looked down, debating internally. The Argonian was already smiling, guessing the response.

Kah looked up at Harkon. "I want to help my brother."

"Then I will help you do that."

He extended his hand. "Take my blood. And I will give you more time."

Kah paused, but took the Master Vampire Lord's hand.

Harkon grinned. "Good. Now let's get moving."


	23. Chapter 23

Zoh smashed a dummy's head furiously, throwing its body across the combat range.

Spinning his newest greatsword he cleaved through another dummy and stabbed into a third.

Throwing his sword aside, he began to ferociously pummel a dummy with his fists.

"Take that you sonofabitch!" yelled the Orc feeling his anger rise again.

He finally punched through the dummy's head and threw it aside.

Roaring into the air, he collapsed to his knees and bowed his head.

"Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it" he murmured to himself.

He had been pummeling these things for a solid hour. He had been trying to keep his anger alive so he could kill any motherfuckers in his way. His brother had been captured four days ago. Ever since then he hadn't eaten and slept in the combat range.

Sorine walked in, noting his tired state.

"I ain't in the mood for flirting" he spat.

"I didn't come here for that" she defended walked to her. She held a tray of bread with meat and a large tankard of water. "I came to give you something to eat."

He nodded in thanks and grabbed the tankard. Gulping as much water as he could, he began shoving the food in his mouth.

"Talos you eat like a pig" she muttered amazed.

He didn't comment and managed to clear the huge chunk of food from his mouth.

"I gotta…stay motivated. Gotta…get my brother back" he muttered exhausted.

"You can't do that if you're exhausted" she reminded him. "You need to sleep. In a real bed."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead" he countered slightly angry.

"With the way you're doing this crap, it won't take long for you to die."

He thought about it. "I…do need a little rest."

"Good. Then get your sweet ass in bed before I drag it there."

He looked up at her and scoffed. "I thought I said I didn't have time for flirting."

"You did say that. You never said I couldn't though."

He chuckled and got up. Stumbling, he began to walk back to his room.

"Good thing you convinced him" stated Isran walking into the area. "I need to get this place cleaned up anyway."

He picked up a chunk of a dummy head. "Wow. He's got one nasty punch."

"Yeah" replied Sorine.

She sighed. "I hope we can get his brother back."

"Me too" agreed Isran. "But chances are fairly likely that Kah is dead. He was captured by Harkon after all."

"They bit him" responded Sorine.

"Great. Then they're making him a part of his little family."

The female bowed her head. "I just hope he's okay."

Isran smiled. "I know Orcs. Kah's probably kicking their asses right now. Even if they tore off his arms."

She looked at him and gave a small, hopeful smile. "I miss him. He's a good man."

"I agree. He is a good man."

Someone else walked into the room, doing so boldly. His brown hair flicked around him, which was dirtier than usual.

"Ah, Celann, back from your mission" said Isran looking over at his personal friend. "How did it go?"

The hunter flicked a strand of hair from his face. "Good. I got two more people. And I brought two more…well…things."

"What do you mean by things?" asked the Redguard cautiously.

Suddenly Ollrod appeared, two dogs trailing behind him. He had his hair down and his bear was clean.

"Good to finally meet you Isran" stated the Nord extending a hand.

The Redguard shook it. "Good to see you two."

He kneeled down and looked at the dogs. They eagerly went to him and he rubbed their heads.

"And who are these two little guys?" he asked smiling at the hounds.

"The one with the blue eyes is Sceolang" stated the Nord. "The one with the green eyes is Bran. They're the best war hounds you will ever find in Skyrim. I bought them from my father."

"I hope they're tough dogs. Death Hounds are fairly hard to kill."

The two war hounds snarled, like they recognized the term.

"Don't remind them of their favorite dish" stated Ollrod smiling. "They're particularly bloodthirsty."

Isran nodded. "Good. Now, I brought a personal friend too."

Someone stepped from the shadows, someone who looked rather odd. He wore a long white shirt that was tied at the end with a black belt. His pants were grey and he had a long, narrow sword at his waist. His black hair was long and swept past his shoulders. His eyes shone bright red and he had the beaten complexion of warrior. Despite his skin texture, he appeared to be Dunmer of sorts.

"Wow. Didn't know you'd bring an Elf" muttered Sorine impressed.

The Dunmer bowed. "Nice to meet ya. I heard so much about the Dawnguard, and I figured it was my kind of club."

Something poked up from the back of his shirt, popping up to rest on top of his head. This thing had a tuft of white hair that rested wildly on top of its head and a single black tunic over its entire body.

"Almy, when we gonna get some dinna?" stated the white-haired thing. It spoke in a little-girl's voice and pouted at him cutely. Only then it did reveal that it was a small Nord child. With odd white hair, but it suited her look nevertheless.

Almy, as he was apparently called, smiled at her. "In a minute Frala. I was just talking to these nice gentlemen here."

"She's not a gentleman" stated Frala pointing to Sorine. "She's got those booby things."

Ollrod tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn't. Celann smacked him, but had a grin on his face too. Sorine was blushing too much to talk.

Isran coughed. "Um, perhaps you should tell your little, friend there to go to the dining room while we talk Almono."

"No Uncle Iswan!" protested the small child. "I no child! I listen to things so I know what Almono get into!"

She pouted and crossed her arms, making the most adorable look.

"Fine, you can stay" muttered the Redguard.

"Yay!" she yelled throwing her arms up. However, this let her grip on Almono's head cease, so she nearly slid down his back. Only a quick grab on his collar saved herself.

The Dunmer didn't seem too bothered by the tightening of his shirt. He merely turned to Isran and asked, "So, why have you called us?"

Isran sighed. "It appears that the vampire situation is drastically going south. We lost a guy a week ago in a vampire attack, and we lost one of our most valuable members four days ago. We need more men to help fight them."

"Gladly" stated Almono adjusted his shirt and Frala at the same time. "I need something cool to fight anyway."

Ollrod smiled at him. "You know, I think I could like you."

"Thank ya, but I'm more interested in killing enemies then making friends."

The Nord's grin doubled. "Now you earned my respect."

"Awesome."

Beleval cleared her throat. "I'm also here."

"Of course madam" stated Isran smiling. "It is good we have a huntress on our team. And a female. No offense meant, but it feels like a sausage fest here half the time."

The others laughed, but the worst part was the fact that Isran was completely correct.

"Now, I need to take this little one to bed" stated Almono adjusting Faral again.

"No Almy, I want dinna!" protested the small child messing up his hair.

"Hmm. Fine, let's get you something to eat then" muttered the Elf walking out of the room.

Isran smiled as the two left. "She's adorable" he muttered chuckling to himself.

"Rather weird as well" countered Sorine.

"So are you" commented Celann grinning.


	24. Chapter 24

One Day Later...

Isran stared at the map curiously, trying to figure out if it was booby-trapped. Since Ollrod had been given the damn thing from a vampire, anything was possible.

"You certain he didn't seem off?" asked the Redguard looking up at the Nord.

The wanderer shrugged. "Man, he seemed off as soon as I saw him. But I'm pretty certain he wasn't lying. He did have a nice hole in his gut from my weapon here."

He lifted it, indicating that it had a new layer of blood on it. It still looked intimidating, having a massive axe head along with a maul at the other end.

Sorine nodded. "Right. I think it's safe to open it."

All members of the Dawnguard were there, or at least the main important ones. Isran, Sorine, Beleval, Celann, Almono and his little friend Frala, Ollrod, Gunmar, Florentius and Zoh. The rest of the people were patrolling the castle as instructed.

Isran opened the scroll and it shuddered in his hands. Then it flew towards the nearest pillars.

"What in Oblivion!?" yelled the Redguard. "Damn thing was empty. Not a mark. So how could it be enchanted?"

The scroll flopped to the ground between two pillars and something radiated from it. It appeared to be white magicka, but it could've just been light.

The magicka/light exploded and covered the space of the pillars. It stretched all the way to the roof, before rounding off and the top of the pillar. Then it began to fit completely in the space.

Sorine stared at it in wonder. "It's a gateway."

It was true. The magicka had become a gateway into another world. Through it they saw a huge plain covered in snow. There were a few trees around and mountains in the background. In short, it looked like the average patch of land in Skyrim.

"That's the Vale?" asked Celann disappointed. "Looks like the middle of freaking nowhere."

"The man said so" muttered Ollrod. "I didn't exactly trust him myself either."

Isran grabbed his warhammer. "Let's see if this damn thing is an illusion or not."

He slowly inserted his hammer into the gateway, letting it settled on the other side for a few seconds. Then he extracted it.

It was now covered in a thin layer of snow and ice cold.

Isran nodded. "It's definitely a gateway. Somewhere up north I'd reason. But let's get going."

They all nodded and readied their weapons. In total they had two archers, one magic user, one spellsword, and five melee fighters. The only one without any combat utilities was Frala, but no one really complained about having her along. She was rather cute and a great motivator.

"Let's go!" she yelled in a squeak tugging Almono's hair.

The Dunmer nodded and ran through the gateway, carrying the small child on his back.

"Damn Elf went before me" muttered Ollrod. "Not gonna let that happen again."

He ran after them, lugging his huge weapon staff with him.

"I need something to murder anyways" murmured Zoh walking in confidently.

Isran shrugged and turned to Sorine. "Ladies first."

"Then why aren't you going?" she taunted winking and walking through.

Beleval did the same and Gunmar hefted his axe. "No point in standing here like a jackass."

This left Isran, Celann, and Florentius. The priest bowed his head and murmured, "May Arkay watch over me." Then he walked through the gateway.

Celann made a fist and activated a spell.

"Summon Blackwing" he whispered to himself.

Something burst from the ground, a small crow. It was jet-black and radiated magicka that was a deep purple. It landed on Celann's sole pauldron, eyeing its master cautiously.

"So that's your secret Conjuration technique" noted Isran. "Impressive bird."

"Thank you. He's very well trained."

The spellsword turned to the gate. 'Let's hope we can use him while we're at it."

He walked through and Isran looked back into the room. "I really hope I will see this place again."

Then he stepped through the gateway and disappeared.

The Dawnguard leader looked around, trying to figure out there environment. It appeared that the place was a lot like Skyrim, but with a few distinct differences. First of all, the air was heavy with magicka, like it radiated the stuff. Second, there was no sun or moon in the sky. The entire sky was just this odd grey color that gave off enough light to see and no more.

"This is trippy" muttered Ollrod adjusting his weapon.

They heard an odd noise behind them and turned. The gateway, which had been open a little while ago, was sealing itself shut.

"Shit!" cried Isran running back to it.

The gate closed and wrapped itself back into the scroll. Then it popped and sat on the ground.

The Redguard grabbed the scroll and opened it. This time it did nothing.

"Damn. This thing isn't working" he explained angrily.

Sorine thought about it. "It'll probably work if we find another two pillars. I mean, that was what it was attracted to, so it stands to reason that it would do that."

Isran nodded. "Good thinking."

He turned to the other eight adventurers on his team. "First objective, find a way out. Second objective, explore this place. We need to spread out to find a place with some pillars. We'll go in teams of three. Florentius, Almono and Ollrod, go to the right. Zoh, Sorine and I will go to the center. Gunmar, Beleval and Celann will go to the left. Any objections?"

"You didn't mention me Uncle Iswan!" protested Frala popping over Almono's head.

"Well then you can go with Almono, Frala."

"Of course! I would've gone with him even if you ordered me not to!"

Isran sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just get going."

They all walked off, seeking a place to establish a connection with Fort Dawnguard.

* * *

Florentius walked fairly contently beside his traveling mates. He was glad he didn't have to go with Celann or the Orc. He didn't like Conjuration, and he also despised Orc culture in general. But he didn't know Ollrod or Almono enough to really judge them. However, that small child Frala was beginning to annoy him.

"Oh, there's a cloud that looks like a bunny wabbit!" exclaimed the child looking into the sky.

Florentius looked up. It was a solid layer of clouds. None of them looked even close to whatever a wabbit was.

"That's awesome Frala" commented Almono adjusting his partner. "Anything else you see?"

"Oh! I see a waccoon humping a kitty cat over there! I'm pretty cewtain the kitty isn't having fun!"

Ollrod burst into laughter at her commentary. "Holy crap! Why haven't I traveled with you sooner? You are hilarious!"

"Thank you Uncle Ollrod! I appweciate it."

They stopped when they saw something blur past them. It then snatched Florentius's necklace and ran off.

"What in Oblivion!?" yelled the priest. "Give me my amulet back you!"

Ollrod laughed. "Robbed by a shadow. You probably should get it back before you lose sight of it."

Frala looked at the thieving shadow. "Little shadow stole Uncle Flowi's necklace. How wude of a little shadow."

Florentius grunted and ran after the thing that stole his amulet.


	25. Chapter 25

Florentius sprinted after the shadow, trying to catch it. Even now he couldn't tell what it really was, other than a blob of blackness. It moved pretty fast, dodging boulders and trees without even slowing down.

"Give me back my necklace you scum!" roared the priest having trouble keeping up.

Finally the shadow stopped when it smashed into a boulder and rolled into a patch of ice.

Florentius caught up with the downed thief and grabbed it by the arm. Then he stopped in surprise.

It was a female, and a rather pretty one too. She was a Nord woman with fairly pale skin and brown hair. She wore a dark hood that matched the general shade of her clothes. She also had these odd eyes, like they were constantly moving.

"Go on. Beat me up" she said calmly. "I stole your stuff, and you caught me. So get your necklace back and beat me to a pulp."

Florentius looked at her in surprise. Then he quickly took his necklace back.

"My creed prevents me from hitting an unarmed woman."

She drew a dagger. "Now beat me up."

The priest gave a sideways glance. "You are serious about this?"

"Yeah. Now do it before I get angry."

He shook his head. "No thank you. I need to get back…"

He stopped when he heard something to his left. He turned and saw that someone was standing near him, grinning madly.

"Well, well, well. Vingalmo wasn't bull-shitting us" muttered the man. He had odd green hair that hung to his chin and this weird mace in his hands.

"Who are you?" asked Florentius turning to face him.

The man didn't answer, instead just swinging his mace at the priest.

The priest leaped back and raised a palm of sun magic. He blasted the man with it and knocked him clean off his feet.

The green-haired man grinned and revealed his eyes. Well, eye. One of them was covered with an eye patch, hiding whatever was underneath.

"You're smart. Using a sun spell against a vampire is a very effective tactic."

Florentius grunted. "Great. I encounter a Vampire Lord when my necklace was stolen."

He turned to the thief. "If this is a trap, well done in planning."

She shook her head. "He's not a friend of mine."

The man nodded. "My name is Nephario. I represent Madness in Lord Harkon's court. I'm the mad doctor of the group. Now that thief over there, she's a special case."

He grinned over at her. "How's it going, Serana?"

Serana shrugged. "Pretty decent Nephario."

He chuckled. "It's about time you got back to your father. It's been so long. He got worried. Let's get going."

"I can't have you do that" stated Florentius stepping between them.

Serana looked at him like he was crazy. "You stupid or something? Lord Harkon is my father. You know who that is right?"

"Master Vampire Lord of the largest vampire clan in Skyrim" answered the priest calmly. "Don't think I couldn't guess what you were. You smell like a vampire."

She blushed slightly, but still persisted. "Why do you care?"

Florentius didn't answer. "Come on" he beckoned to Nephario. "If you want her, come and get her."

Nephario grinned and giggled to himself. "Aw, this is too good. I wanted something to do anyway."

He sprinted at the priest and spun wildly. Florentius ducked and pressed his palm into the vampire's stomach.

"Burn" he muttered blasting him with a ray of sunlight.

The aspect of Madness flew backwards and landed in a heap. Then he leaped to his feet rather comically and grinned.

"My oh my, what pretty spells you have" noted the vampire happily. "I am so glad you are interesting. I could operate on you when we're done, definitely."

He began to run, doing this odd long-step style to it like he was stretching his whole body.

Florentius flicked his wrist and a huge metal rod appeared under his robe. He grabbed it and twirled the weapon, revealing it was about three feet long.

He countered the mace to his head and charged his rod with sun magic. Aiming it at Nephario, he shot him with the pointy end of the stick.

The Nord calmly dodged and flared his fingers. The nails on only one hand were long and jagged at the ends.

He slashed them across Florentius's chest and tore through his robe.

"Oh, getting some clothes off. Me likey" muttered Nephario licking the blood on his hand.

Florentius walked back and looked at the wound. It looked like he had been slashed by a sabre cat. It was a truly impressive cut.

He swung his rod and released an arc of sunlight. It mowed down everything at head-height for at least ten feet, clearing the top of a boulder in the process.

He spun, twirling the deadly blast of sunlight around him. He began to etch a pattern into the ice, forming a pentagram shape.

"You think a perfect beast like me can be hurt by something like..?" began Nephario.

Florentius slammed the rod into the middle of the polygon and clasped his hands together.

"Bane of undeath!" roared the priest.

The pentagram flashed and sunlight rose from the lines. Then the star began to spin, forming a spinning circle of light.

Nephario grinned, even as his clothes began to burn off, revealing his chest. "This is so amazingly fun!" he roared running to the center of the pentagram.

Florentius leaped through the sunlight and kicked the vampire in the head.

Nephario flew backwards and smashed into a boulder. Then he saw a blast of sunlight come straight at him.

"I know people like you" stated Florentius in the blast of sunlight. "You think of yourself as a doctor who has achieved perfection. I've seen people like that. But all these years, I never met a guy, who I can't stab through the eyes!"

He then stabbed his scepter through Nephario's head, right in the eye patch.

The vampire stopped, completely still.

Then the doctor glanced at him. "You think that would kill me?"

Florentius gasped.

The vampire grinned. "I bet you can't understand this. How could anyone survive a stab in the head? It's not possible."

He grunted. "But look at me. I'm alive, and you stabbed me through my head. How is that possible?"

He grabbed the scepter and pulled it out of his head. Grabbing the underside of his eye patch, he revealed what was underneath.

A hole ran clean through his eye to the back of his head, with nothing in the middle. It was lined with metal and covered in magical runes. It looked like a sealing container or something.

"Your scepter only passed through my head. I've been doing experiments on myself, trying to figure out what I can live without. This is a side job I did about a week ago. It works like a charm."

He raised his right arm, which was also covered in runes. These runes began to spin, glowing a light red as well.

"Let's show you my other modifications."

A mass of fur burst from his skin and began to form into a completely new appendage. Claws grew from the mass and bones knitted themselves underneath it.

When it was finished, his right arm looked like it had been replaced by a bear claw. It had the exact dimensions of one, but it was attached to a human elbow.

"Come on! Show me how tough you are!" roared Nephario running back at him.

Florentius raised his rod and fired a ball of light. The vampire dodged and trailed his claw into the snow, taking up ice as he went.

The vampire leaped forward and slashed his newest bear claw.

The priest took it in the stomach and gasped. It felt exactly like what he thought it would. And that was bad since he thought of a bear mauling him to death.

Nephario kicked out his leg and tackled the priest to the ground. Raising his left arm, he let the runes on that one swirl.

"Let's see which one my body picks!" taunted Nephario staring down at his prey.

A long shell-like mass burst from his skin and morphed into an appendage. Then it grew two separate parts at the end that snapped together when he moved.

He laughed. "Crab?! Perfect!"

He aimed his newest mass of claw downwards and stabbed.

Florentius grabbed the claw and kept it from hitting his head. It snapped under his grip, trying to take off his face.

"Shit" he murmured against his creed of honorific speech.

He concentrated intently, then exhaled.

A solid line of sunlight came from his mouth and knocked Nephario clean off him.

The priest got back up and raised a healing spell. Activating it, he let his body knit itself back together.

"You're tough" stated Nephario grinning. "But I hate to break it to you: I'm the real king here!"

He had both of his arms in this odd stance, like he was getting ready for something.

Then Florentius noticed the runes on his back were spinning and his eyes widened.

Two wings burst from Nephario's back, both of them huge. They curled around his body, dripping with this vile green matter. They were long and spiny, similar to an insect. They were a dark green and stank awful.

Nephario looked up, revealing that he had replaced his hole in his head with an insect eye. It had thousands of edges on it, like he could see everything. Despite the changes his body was undergoing, he still had that smile.

"Let's see how well you can fight such a perfect abomination!" roared the vampire running at Florentius. "I put all these parts inside my body to use at any time I deem necessary! It's my largest experiment ever! So show me what you can do!"


	26. Chapter 26

Zoh walked with Sorine and Isran, not really liking the pace they were at. They were going agonizingly slow, something he despised.

"Can we hurry up? I want to get this over with" he muttered angry.

The Nord woman turned to him. "You getting cranky?"

"Of course I'm cranky! I lost my brother, I don't know where he is, he could be a vampire for all I know, we're walking in the middle of nowhere trying to figure out why we even got here, and I am freezing my balls off!"

Sorine thought about it. "Legit reasons for being cranky."

"Yeah."

Isran sighed. "We'll get to your brother Zoh. But first we need to get back to Fort Dawnguard. Or at the very least out of here."

They stopped when they saw something. It was an immense wall ahead of them, made of solid stone. It looked old, possibly ancient Nordic. For reasons unknown, it was in the middle of an ice field.

"Interesting. Wonder why such a thing is here?" asked Sorine gazing at it from a distance.

"Can we use it for the scroll?" inquired Isran.

"No."

"Then let's keep moving."

Zoh stared at the wall. It seemed familiar, as if he knew about it.

"I'm going in closer" he said walking to it.

"Uh, why?" asked Isran.

The Orc didn't answer. He kept walking, not even caring about what was going on around him.

He felt something breeze past him and he turned. A long trail of something was etched into the ice, like a marker.

He turned and saw that the trail was circling around him, almost automated.

"Hey, I think something's…"

Suddenly the trail exploded into flames, like it was black powder. The Orc covered his eyes, but noticed something.

The flames were black. They actually absorbed the light around them, like they themselves were darkness.

Isran ran at the flames, trying to break them. For all he knew one of his men was caught in a magical trap. Not a great thing.

He slashed them, but they didn't even budge. It was like they were solid, despite the heat they gave off.

"Shit" murmured the Dawnguard captain.

Zoh looked around and noticed something was standing in the flames with him. It was someone dressed in battle gear, something that appeared to be Ebony. The figure was tall, as tall as Zoh.

"Who are you?" demanded the Orc raising his weapon. "What is this?"

"My dear brother, don't you recognize me?" asked Kah removing his helmet.

Zoh gasped. "Brother…"

Kah nodded.

The elder Orc didn't look too good. He had this ashy skin tone that made him look a hundred years older. His eyes were a penetrating yellow, and his fangs were a lot more defined.

"Brother…are you..?" began Zoh.

"Yes my dear brother. I am a Vampire Lord" answered Kah calmly.

The younger Orc stared in amazement at his brother. He couldn't even comprehend why his brother had let this happen.

"Why?" was the only response Zoh had.

Kah sighed. "I was on limited time. I had only a few days until the vampirism spread all over me. This was the only way to control it. Lord Harkon offered this to me."

"Lord Harkon?" spat Zoh. "You call him Lord. What did he do to you brother?"

"He showed me what I could become. And he is willing to take you in as well brother."

The elder Orc raised his hand, revealing a ring on his finger. It was the same ring on Jawil, the ring that represented Cruelty.

Zoh felt a tear come to his eye. "How far have you fallen brother? You call the one who we used to curse your Lord. You share his blood. Why did you do this?"

"Because I must!" roared Kah. "How dare you question my logic?"

"How dare I?" repeated Zoh. "How dare you turn back against everything you ever held dear? When a man turns against everything he believes in just for simple power, it is no longer simply unjust. It is then evil!"

Kah leaped at his brother, punching him in the stomach. Zoh gasped and collapsed against his brother, devastated at the blow.

"Evil you say?" whispered the elder Orc calmly. "Then evil I must be. To show you how you are wrong."

He grabbed his brother and threw him across the ice field.

Zoh landed and rolled. He looked up and saw the look in elder brother's eye. He looked ready to murder anything in his way. He had never been the direction of that gaze before, and now he saw how terrifying it really was.

The younger Orc roared and drew his greatsword. Then he ran at his brother, tears streaming down his face.

They clashed together, locking weapons. They stared into each other's eyes, noting the lack of mercy in both of them.

"I will prove that you are the wrong one!" yelled Zoh. "You have turned against what you believe! You have been tricked my brother!"

"Tricked? I was blind before!" countered Kah angrily. "Now I finally see the truth! I tell you my tricked eyes see more than your blind ones ever will!"

They leaped back and clashed again, countering each other perfectly. Despite the differences they had, they fought the same. It was a perfect dance of blades to watch.

"I…hate you!" roared Kah trying to kill his own brother.

Zoh was stunned at the comment, but narrowed his eyes. Then he tried something new.

He spun his leg out and tripped his brother. Twirling his blade, he sank it into Kah's leg.

The elder Orc gasped as he was pinned to the ground by his thigh.

Zoh knelt down and grabbed his brother by the lapels. Staring into his eyes, he let the tears keep coming.

"I know. I know that you hate me. And if you hate me, then I will let you heap all of your hatred onto me" said the younger Orc crying in frustration. "Because that is what I must do. Because I am your brother!"

"I don't want you to be my brother!" shouted Kah. "I want you to merely understand! How dare you say that you know what I am going through! Perhaps it is not just yourself that has suffered! How could you ever know my own pain?!"

Zoh stopped and Kah grabbed him. Rising up from the blade, he hefted his brother off his feet.

"You are too late my brother!" roared the elder Orc throwing his brother.

Zoh smashed into the ancient wall and looked up dazed. He saw his brother walking slowly to him, looking incredibly angry.

"_Brother" _he thought desperately inside his head. _"What did they do to you?"_

Zoh looked at the wall he was so attracted to a moment ago and saw something was etched into it. It appeared to be slash marks of some sort.

"_Fus. Ro. Dah"_ he read. _"What in Oblivion does that mean?"_

Kah grabbed him and looked into his eyes. "Now hear me…"

He stopped when he saw his brother's eyes. They were glowing white, like a deity of some sort.

"What the..?" began Kah.

"FUS RO DAH!" exclaimed Zoh in a voice that wasn't his own.

Kah was blasted off his feet and flung into the air. He smashed into a boulder, embedded up his to legs.

He looked up and saw that Zoh was running at him. He looked like he was glowing, like a magical aura had been dropped on him.

"How did he gain this power? What he is?" muttered the elder Orc.

Zoh spun in the air and slashed his sword into the boulder. It split clean in two and dropped Kah.

The elder Orc leaped backwards and twirled his battleax. Blocking the incoming strike to the head, he began a frantic struggle of blocking his brother's attacks.

"He's even faster than before. I can barely..."

Zoh lightly sidestepped and tore open Kah's stomach. The elder gasped and collapsed to his knees.

The younger Orc grabbed him and stared into his eyes. Zoh looked like a different person, as if this new magicka was overtaking him.

"Tell me how you are right" spat the new Zoh.

He threw Kah away and let him sail. The elder Orc smashed into the ice, taking a good chunk of it with him.

Kah stood and stared at his brother. It seemed he had finally let everything go.

"Time for me to prove you are wrong" stated the elder Orc sighing.

He sank to a knee and a black magicka rolled over him. It spread across his arms and legs, making his skin a dark green.

Spines burst from his back, black spires of bone. His hands grew claws and his chest sprouted this bone armor all over it. His axe was covered in black ice, like a chunk of darkness had been frozen.

Kah roared, his true Vampire Lord form revealed.

"Show me your power brother" ordered the Orc vampire snarling.

Zoh raised his sword and whispered three words.

"Krein Miin Norok."

Sunlight burst from his blade, drowning out the black flames around them. It was like a star had been born in his sword. Two wings came from his back, two angelic wings of pure sunlight. He looked like a literal angel on the earth, despite the Orcish features.

They flew at each other, two brothers locked in mortal combat. Darkness versus light.

"Zoh!" roared Kah.

"Kah!" cried Zoh.

"RAAGH!"

"RAAGH!"

They smashed together, the two energies burning on contact. They both fought to overcome each other, boiling away multiple layers of ice below them.

Then the mass of energy detonated like a bomb.

* * *

Kah stood from the smoking ground, sighing as he did so. He still had the features of his Vampire Lord form, but a large burn was now on the left side of his face.

He walked over to the smoking remains of his brother and looked at him. The younger Orc was out cold, but still alive.

"Goodbye. Brother" whispered the elder Orc looking down at his younger.

Then he disappeared in a swirl of magicka.


	27. Chapter 27

**I am certain we all can agree that this story is going way too damn long for all of us. That being the case, I've decided to speed this thing along. So expect a huge increase in chapters in the next two weeks.**

The morphed Nephario swung at Florentius, using his new claw arm. The priest dodged and stabbed into the exposed chest of the vampire.

The rod sizzled the flesh and burned a huge mark into it.

Nephario leaped back and goggled him with his new insect eye. "You react like you've done things like this before. You've seen disgusting abominations like me? You've seen creations of mad doctors, the like who I made myself? Well tell me Florentius, are you afraid of me?!"

He leaped back at him, using his wings to glide forward.

Florentius blasted him with a ball of light, but the vampire easily evaded it. Grinning, he sliced with his bear arm.

The priest ducked and struck him with the rod.

The vampire snarled and swung with his claw, taking a chunk of Florentius's robes.

The Imperial coughed and swung the scepter again. It sliced a large line into Nephario's reinforced arm-armor and burned some of it away.

"Impressive! Very impressive!" roared the vampire still continuing the assault.

He spun and revealed he had grown a long tail in the last few seconds. It appeared similar to a snake's tail, but nearly five feet long as well.

The tail snapped into Florentius and knocked him off his feet.

The priest landed dazed and the tail grabbed his ankle.

Nephario laughed and threw him into the air. Then he smashed him back into the ground like an old carpet.

"Ha! What a little bitch!" yelled the vampire. "Getting smacked around like a disobedient child! Bow before the perfect monster!"

He stopped when he saw Florentius aiming a spell at him.

"Sun Beam" muttered the priest bleeding from the mouth.

A solid column of sunlight appeared from his hands and blasted at Nephario.

This column blasted the vampire off his feet and sent him reeling in the ice. This also released Florentius from his tail's grip.

The priest stood and dusted himself off. "You are far too arrogant for your current power. You have this idea that you are the most powerful. But you aren't. Your strength pales in comparison to a multitude of people in this world. The most obvious answer being your Lord Harkon, who gave you your power."

Nephario snarled. "How dare you? I am the best of his court, the strongest out of all those weaklings! Even if I am weaker than him, I will rise to take his place of power! That is the natural cycle of this world!"

He picked himself up, panting as he did so. "I won't die to you. I can't! I am too strong! You are going to die!"

His tail flicked to the front and split into four different pieces. They spread out like an umbrella, spinning as they did so.

He ran forward, spinning his tail around him. It acted like a circular saw blade, slicing through the ice and snow around him.

Florentius dodged the blade and raised his scepter. Blasting him with a ray of sunlight, he knocked him back a good five feet.

Nephario landed and sprinted around the priest, trying to catch him off guard. Despite his speed, the priest was able to keep up with him and never let him out of his sight.

Then he disappeared and Florentius gasped.

The vampire appeared above him, claws raised.

"Die!" roared Nephario slamming his claw down.

The priest raised his scepter and blocked the strike. Ice crumbled below him, but he kept his block up.

The mad doctor laughed. "Wow! You are incredibly strong! Where are you getting that much strength?!"

The Dawnguard member sighed and took a deep breath.

"Lord Arkay!" he roared letting the sunlight pour from him.

Nephario flew backwards, propelled by the explosion of magicka. It was immense and seemed to cover almost a solid five feet.

Florentius stood in the center of the magicka storm, glowing golden. He looked like a deity of the sun, standing stoic in the light.

Nephario snarled. He was insulted by the way the priest carried himself, like he was better. How dare he think that? He was the most powerful!

"I am the strongest!" roared Nephario.

He ran at the priest, trailing his newest appendages behind him.

"This ends now! Hurry up and die already!" yelled the vampire.

Florentius glanced at him and sighed. "How annoying."

Nephario was lifted off his feet and smashed into the ground. Then he was lifted by his lapels and met the priest face to face.

"You say you are the strongest in this duel, correct?" asked Florentius calmly. "You are wrong. You are not the strongest."

He sighed. "And this idea of perfection. Perfection is something that only gods can achieve, you simpleton. Mortals cannot achieve it. It's impossible."

The vampire snarled. "Perfection is impossible? Says someone who has never experienced it. How can you doubt something so divine and amazing? But you are correct. I am not a perfect being. But Lord Harkon is."

He grabbed Florentius and threw him off him.

"So I will retreat for the moment. And hopefully, Lord Harkon will show you what a perfect being is."

He flared his insect wings, which were had grown fairly large in the growing seconds.

Then he flew into the air and began to fly away from the battle field.

Florentius sighed. "Damn it."

He turned to Serana. "Let's get going. I have need of you further."


	28. Chapter 28

Florentius and Serana walked back to where Ollrod and Almono were supposed to be, hoping to catch them. The priest didn't even have to force the vampire to follow him, since she was still curious about him.

"Why do you need my help?" she asked curiously.

"We need someone to direct us to the nearest set of pillars" explained the priest.

"Well I know a few, but they're all guarded by…"

She stopped and stared at something in the distance.

Florentius looked at where she was staring and widened his eyes. Almono seemed to be fighting someone in the distance, someone odd. They were both moving pretty fast, and throwing blades around in the sunlight.

"Holy…" began the priest. Then he ran off to help his friend.

He got within twenty feet and saw who the Dunmer was fighting. He was currently doing battle with an Altmer, something that was rather odd due to the opponent's fighting style. He appeared similar to a berserker. He had two blades that appeared to be crescent moons with handles, similar to sickles.

Florentius moved to help, then something kicked him in the head and knocked him to the ground.

The priest landed and the thing kept kicking him rapidly in the face. Only then did he see what it was.

"No Uncle Flori, you no interrupt Almy's fight!" squeaked Frala kicking him. "He got that look in his face!"

The priest blocked the kicks, desperately trying to see. "Alright! But what look?"

He turned to look at Almono and his eyes widened.

The Dunmer had this incredibly creepy grin on his face, like he was enjoying the fight. He looked like Gunmar when he had been offered a plate of double-fried, vinegar-marinated pork skins. And that was a pretty excited face to those who don't know about Gunmar and his dieting habits.

Frala turned to Serana, who seemed rather shocked of the child's behavior.

"That the thief that stole you stuff Uncle Flori?" asked the child.

"Yes" answered the priest simply.

"You a bitch!" cried Frala pointing at her.

Serana was astonished, but bowed her head in shame. She didn't comment either.

Florentius glanced at the child. "Knock it off. She didn't know me. She was probably stealing it because she had no choice."

"No choice? Who care Uncle Flori? She still a bitch!"

"Yeah, but that's no excuse to call her that" stated Ollrod leaning on a rock. He had his weapon braced against his shoulder, but he wasn't fighting. "Just because someone is something doesn't mean you can call them that. It ain't right."

Florentius looked at him. "How long have you been here?"

"Since those two jackoffs stared fighting" muttered the Nord pointing to the Elves. "Almono told me to not interfere. Said something about, 'ruining the fight for him' or some shit."

Frala grinned. "Yeah, Almy's gonna kick some ass!"

She turned to her guardian. "Almy! Everything's ready! Even Uncle Flori and that bitch thief came to watch!"

"Perfect!" yelled the Dunmer. "Just stay there Frala!"

"Right!" she said sitting cross-legged on the ice.

He smiled. "Such a cute kid."

His opponent growled at him. "Would you stop interrupting? I am trying to kill you, but I stopped when those idiots came in!"

"Which I appreciate Vingalmo" stated Almono smiling at his opponent. "But I agree. Let's get back to this bloody affair of ours."

The Altmer grinned. "Fine by me. I wanted to kill you as soon as you interrupted my fight with Ollrod!"

They flashed their swords and threw up sparks everywhere. Despite the size of the Dunmer, he moved very quickly. One odd thing about his swing was that he only used one hand, never using the other.

Vingalmo cut into his opponent's chest and released a geyser of blood.

The spectators gasped, but Almono grinned.

"Ha, ha, ha! Nice cut!" he complimented running back at his foe.

As they fought, Florentius noted the Dunmer's fighting style. It was like he enjoyed the fighting immensely, as if it gave him energy to be this close to death.

"Weird right?" commented Ollrod. "He's acting like he's high or something. It's freaking me out."

Serana nervously sat beside the priest, not trusting anyone else.

Frala opened a small satchel on her back and pulled out a bag.

"Anyone want pwetzels?" she asked looking around.

"Wouldn't mind a bit" said Ollrod extending a hand.

She gave him the bag of baked wheat products and held out another.

"Pwetzels?" she offered to Serana.

"S-s-sure" said the vampire rather timidly. She grabbed it and looked at the child.

Frala smiled at her. "Sorry fow calling you a bitch. You kinda nice."

Serana blushed. "T-thank you."

"You pwetty too."

She looked down and blushed deeper. She didn't respond from that one.

Frala turned to Florentius and nudged him with her elbow.

"Get some" she whispered into his ear.

"What?" he replied.

"You know what I mean."

"She's a vampire!"

"And you a douche! It work out in end!"

Florentius shook his head. "No. I need to keep an eye on Almono. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

Frala gave him a sour look. "You not know Almono. He too stwong to get killed. You see."

* * *

Almono blocked the incoming crescent moon and slashed with his sword. He cut into Vingalmo's arm and flicked right off, like it had hit metal.

"This fight is not bad!" commented the Dunmer. "But can you keep me entertained for longer?"

"Don't worry about entertainment" stated Vingalmo grinning. "I am excellent in that department!"

They clashed again, the Altmer wielding his odd moon blades. Despite the seriousness of the fight, they were both grinning at each other.

Almono blocked the next strike and aimed at Vingalmo's chest.

The Altmer calmly grabbed the blade and grinned. "Don't make me repeat myself. I have the strongest Ward on me at this very moment. Your sword will do nothing."

His grin turned sinister. "Don't you see? You can't kill me Dawnguard, it just won't happen. Your sword can't even cut me! So don't bother at this!"

Almono looked down and chuckled.

Vingalmo snarled. "What's so funny you asshole!?"

He leaped at him and swung his blades.

The Dunmer blocked the strike and looked up. "Sorry. It's just that I'm happy, so I can't help but laugh. Because I know that if I do cut you, you die. That's nice and convenient. Thank you for that."

Vingalmo laughed. "Then cut me! Try to fill your empty threats!"

"Gods you're pissing me off" muttered the Dunmer. "I won't mind a bit."


	29. Chapter 29

Vingalmo twirled his blades and let them go, increasing his range dramatically.

Almono ducked and sprinted back at him, his grin still intact. He didn't look even slightly afraid of the vampire.

They clashed again and sparks flew through the air.

Vingalmo slashed his crescent moon into Almono's shoulder and cut a clean line into it.

The Dunmer chuckled and spun. Twirling his sword, he tried to stab the Altmer in the chest.

His sword sparked against the vampire's' skin, but didn't penetrate.

Vingalmo then raised his moons and sliced downward.

Two long lines trailed into Almono's chest, forming an X over his right pectoral.

"That's for not listening to me you fool!" cried the Altmer. "I told you that you can't cut me! Idiot!"

Almono calmly twirled and aimed his sword high.

"It's impossible! You can't..!"

The Dunmer sliced Vingalmo in the face, getting an inch mark on him.

The Altmer leaped back and held his bleeding face.

"Well guess what?" asked Almono grinning. "I cut you."

He beckoned to the vampire. "So let's go for Round 2. Try to kill me again. It's funny when you do."

Vingalmo stared in horror at the figure before him. "What are you?"

The Dunmer didn't answer, instead running back at his opponent.

The Altmer grimaced and blocked the strike. Widening his eyes, he raised one of his hands.

A ball of fire blasted from the tip of his elbow out past his fist. It scorched the robe on Almono and melted the ice that it hit.

"That was fantastic" noted the Dunmer smiling. "But your fireball was pretty disappointing. I'm barely warm."

"You like bullshitting don't you?" commented Vingalmo. "How about I show you a real show of what I can do?!"

He raised his hand and fired another fireball. This one was a blood red that baked the dirt back onto the ground.

Almono raised his sword and cut clean through the fireball, grinning.

"Awesome" he murmured running into the fire.

He burst from the flames and swung his new red-hot blade.

It cut through the magical armor of Vingalmo and burned his chest.

The vampire grunted in pain and swung a crescent moon.

The blade barely nicked Almono's neck, but it cut through the necklace he was wearing.

The necklace fell to the ground, revealing that it was an amulet of an unknown deity.

Almono grimaced and looked down. "Damn it. You shouldn't have cut off my amulet."

"Why? Is it the source of your power?" taunted Vingalmo.

The Dunmer sighed. "It was a deterrent."

"What?!" exclaimed the vampire.

"I use it to make my stamina dissipate, so it makes it harder on me to fight. I love the challenge of a good fight, so I use it pretty damn often."

He glared at Vingalmo. "But you had to be a dumbass and cut it. Now I can use all of my stamina, and I can't hold back."

Vingalmo snarled. "Fine by me. You're still going to die here!"

Almono calmly swung his sword and cut a massive wound in the vampire's chest, from one side of the chest to the other.

The vampire gasped and Almono raised a finger.

He flicked him in the fore head and knocked him clean off his feet.

Vingalmo landed in a pile of snow and felt himself bleeding. Nevertheless he stood and looked at his opponent.

"What…what are you?" asked the vampire stunned.

Almono sighed. "Are you alive? Or have you just not died yet?"

Vingalmo snarled. "You…asshole. You think this can kill me? I am far too powerful to be beat by a second-class Elf such as yourself! I haven't even pulled out my trick yet!"

He crossed his arms. "But you've pissed me off so much, all I want to do is use it!"

He glowed a deep purple and growled.

"Feel my power" he said radiating magicka.

Almono gave a sideways glance as the vampire began to shift. Then something weird happened.

Six spines burst from his back and became jointed. Then they grew hair and little feelers.

The spider legs spread out, forming into two groups on either side of his chest. They looked like dangerous weapons in his hands.

Vingalmo looked up, revealing that he had a new set of black fangs in his mouth.

"Along came a spider…" he whispered grinning.

He chuckled. "What do you think of me Dawnguard? Are you scared of a little spider?"

Almono looked up and grinned. This caught everyone in the general area off guard.

"This is freaking fantastic!" yelled the Dunmer. "Now it's a fair fight! Come on, show me what this spider-shit does to you."

Vingalmo snarled. "Ugh. You are such an annoying bitch. Thinking that you can just take what I throw at you. You don't know half of what I can do!"

The legs twitched then sprouted blades from the tips, forming long claws at the ends.

He stepped into a battle stance, his original two arms now weaponless.

"RAAAGH!" he yelled running at Almono.

The Dunmer blocked three blades and retaliated with a single slash.

Vingalmo looked at him as if he was disappointed. "Really? That's all you can do?"

He raised one of his human arms and plunged it into Almono's chest.

The Dunmer gasped as the hand punched clean through his torso. He could feel it flex on the other side of him.

Vingalmo retracted his arm and Almono collapsed.

"Heh, pathetic" murmured the Altmer. "It's over you idiot."

The Dunmer coughed blood and felt the injuries on his body. It was incredible how far he had already gotten. He was suffering injuries that would have most people screaming in pain, and all he appeared to be doing was looking down.

Almono looked up and revealed what he was really doing. He was grinning madly.

The Dawnguard began to laugh, causing his opponent to stare at him in shock.

"This is freaking awesome! Now I got an impressive injury of my own!"

He raised his sword. "So, let's continue this little bloodbath of ours'!"

Vingalmo snarled. "Fine by me. I'm going to kill you!"

Vingalmo spun sliced into Almono's chest.

The Dawnguard laughed even as a geyser of his blood flew through the air.

"_What in Oblivion?"_ thought the vampire. _"I'm the one who's attacking."_

He spun and cut into the Dunmer's chest, hitting him again.

"_He's the one who's bleeding." _

He looked into the face of Almono, who was laughing maniacally. Even as he got cut in the face he didn't react, still too stunned.

"_And yet…he's still laughing. What is he? Am I even hurting him?"_

The Dunmer twirled his blade and stabbed his spider opponent in the stomach.

Vingalmo gasped and Almono pushed himself closer, pressing the side of his face into his opponent's.

Then he laughed right next to his ear.

Vingalmo's eyes widened and he leaped back. He was holding in his intestines, but he didn't feel that desperate.

"Laugh all you want, you mocking motherfucker! I'll scatter your blood across this place like dust!"

The legs twitched and he snarled. "Time to finish this fight!"

Almono calmly placed another hand on his sword and raised it. He didn't appear stressed at all, like this was natural to him.

He slashed his sword, hitting Vingalmo in the left side.

All four arms on that side of the vampire's chest instantly severed from the body, as if caught by a guillotine.

The Altmer gasped and collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely. He sank to his knees, panting.

Almono stared at him, only one hand on his sword again. He sighed. "You alive?" he asked simply.

Vingalmo looked up and snarled. "Fuck you. You cut off my arms. You piece of shit."

The Dunmer shrugged. "Whatever."

He turned. "See ya later."

Vingalmo stared at him. "What? Get back here!"

Almono looked at him again. "You a dumbass? This fight is over. You can't fight back. I don't fight defenseless people."

The Altmer snarled. "You think I'm done? I'm nowhere near done! I can still kill you, even without four arms!"

He picked himself up, flaring his leftover arms on his right side. "I'll destroy you, Dawnguard, at whatever cost!"

Almono sighed. "Ugh. Stupid jackass."

He turned back to face him. "Fine. I'll finish you off. If that's what you're after."

Vingalmo ran at his opponent, splashing blood across the snow. He didn't care about that though. He couldn't even feel his injuries, he was pumped with so much adrenaline.

"I am stronger then you!" yelled the Altmer. "I am..!"

Almono raised his sword, still with only one hand.

A long slice hit Vingalmo in the chest and cut into his heart.

Blood fell like a waterfall down his chest and he collapsed to his knees. He could feel himself die, even now.

"_Damn it. I am…the aspect of Pride. How could I…lose? And I failed…in retrieving…"_

He turned and saw the audience to the side. Then he saw one particular member of the crowd and gasped.

"…_Serana."_

The vampire looked at him, almost depressingly. She hadn't even recognized him until then, since she had been gone for a while. "Vingalmo?"

He closed his eyes and smacked the ground, dead.

Almono smiled down at him, putting his sword on his shoulder. "Thanks a bunch Vingalmo. That was incredibly fun."


	30. Chapter 30

Almono walked back to the group of spectating Dawnguard, most of whom were staring at him in awe. His wounds were immense in size and severity, but he walked as if he had nothing wrong with him. It was quite a sight, given with how much blood he had on him.

Frala clapped frantically, smiling broadly. "Bravo Almy! You did awesome!"

The Dunmertook a bow. "Thank you. I do better when I'm having fun."

Florentius looked at him curiously. "You are…interesting. First of all, your name. Why do you possess an Altmer name?"

He sighed. "Out of everything you could've asked, that's your first? Fine. Because of that, I'll answer that and the obvious next question."

He put his sword back in its sheath. "I was raised by an upper class family in the Summerset Isles. I was the adopted son of them, since they were negotiating business deals with a Dunmer family in Morrowmind. It was a bit like an arranged marriage of royals, except I didn't know the sonsofbitches who were in Morrowmind. The family that adopted me, I despised them. They thought of me like dirt, since they were typical Altmer assholes. They even changed my name so they could 'give me some worth' or some shit."

He shook his head. "Gods I hated them. So one night I ran off and stole a boat to Cyrodiil. Since then I've been wandering, trying to find a purpose. About twenty years ago I found it."

He stopped. "I'm certain you're going to ask me why I fight like I do, so I'll tell you another story."

He grinned. "I fought in the Great War against the Elves. Naturally I was slotted to fight them, since I had become an Imperial citizen by then. And when I fought in this little small town against an entire battalion of Thalmor agents, I got it."

Almono snapped his fingers. "I was standing there, my blade actually hot with blood. I was dripping with sweat and rain, but I finally knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be a warrior. The rush I got from that first battle…"

He shuddered. "It was the greatest ecstasy I ever felt in my life. Now I fight because it's my purpose, the one thing I get pleasure from anymore. And when I fight, I get stronger with each battle, so I can keep fighting."

Florentius looked at him curiously. "What was that amulet the man cut off?"

Almono raised it. It was made of copper and appeared to be very dirty. It had a single jewel in the center, a diamond.

"It's an amulet given to me by a captain I killed. He fought like I did, since he found his purpose too. And when I got him down to the ground, on his knees, bleeding from the neck, he did something I didn't even think of."

He looked up, a grin on his face. "He was laughing. He gave me his necklace as a gift for defeating him, then he died smiling. I have to say, he inspired me to do the same. So when I'm so close to death I can literally feel myself bleeding, I laugh. It keeps me going."

Frala nodded. "Almy is the best warrior ever! He kicks majow ass!"

He ruffled her hair affectionately. "This little one I found after a battle as well. She was related to a friend of mine, who couldn't take care of her anymore. I gladly took her along."

"Taking a child to war? Was that a smart idea?" asked Ollrod slightly confused.

"Technically, I offered to leave her at my home. But she managed to break out."

Frala grinned. "That's because I am a badass!"

"That was only about five years ago. Since then, she's picked up the language and habits around her. I am certain you figured that out, mainly due to her behavior."

Ollrod chuckled. "She's got a vocabulary like mine. Gruff and foul."

The small child laughed. "You bet! I know many words! Some of them bad ones!"

Almono sighed. "I tried to discourage her, but she kept it up. Not too bad. I mean, I barely know her age anyway."

Florentius shrugged. "Children pick up all the bad habits it seems."

Ollrod nodded in agreement.

Almono stood and picked up Frala. Letting her climb onto his back, he wrapped her around with the loose parts of his robe.

"We probably should get going" he said adjusting his robe again. "I'm sure the others have found something by now."

Suddenly a huge flare flew through the air, lightning up purple. It flashed multiple times, then fizzled out.

"Seems someone found something" muttered Ollrod. He stood and looked at Serene.

"What should we do with her?" he asked pointing at the vampire.

Serana bowed her head, as if to disguise herself, but Florentius grabbed her arm. "We take her with us. Just because she's a vampire doesn't mean she can be of use to us. I'll keep her under watch."

Almono shrugged. "Fine by me. Just make sure Isran doesn't do something stupid."

"He usually doesn't" defended the priest.

Celann stood outside of the small building, his pipe in hand. He had his raven Blackwing circling above the building, eyeing everything around it. The spellsword wasn't even slightly bothered by the fact that he was cold, or that Florentius had brought a vampire.

"Good, you guys made it" he murmured looking at the approaching four. "Isran and the others have already gotten back. Gunmar started a little lunch if you want something."

He looked at Serana. "Nice to meet a vampire who isn't trying to suck my neck dry. Name's Celann."

She shook it, still afraid of him. "I'm…Serana."

"Good to meet ya. Now, please stay here while I try to make sense of this to Isran."

The spellsword walked over to the small fire inside the building and sat next to the Redguard. He then whispered something into his ear, something that obviously was shocking.

"He isn't going to kill me is he?" asked Serana nervously.

"If he tries, I'll stop him" stated Florentius.

"Why?"

Before the priest could answer, Isran strode over to the vampire. He looked at her analytically, as if she was a specimen in an experiment.

"You're a vampire" he concluded coldly.

"Y-y-yes..?" she confirmed nervously.

He looked over at Florentius. "Why did you bring her here?"

The priest stood tall. "She could be of use to us. She knows about this Vale."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure we need her anymore. We found a suitable place for the scroll to work."

"But I can..!" interjected Serana.

"Silence!" ordered Isran. "I'm still not sure if I should trust you."

He turned to Florentius. "Why do we need her?"

The priest sighed. "The man who gave us this map said that there's something important in this Vale. He is either talking about her, or something in here. Either way, she can help us get this valuable thing."

He rifled his hair. "And…she's the daughter of Harkon."

Isran's eyes widened. "You mean we got the lead vampire's own daughter here with us?"

"Yes."

The Redguard put a hand on his chin. "Hmm. That's…interesting."

He looked at her. "Would your father be willing to pay a ransom?"

"Yes, but that wouldn't be a good idea" she defended quickly.

"Really, why?"

She sighed. "There's something in the Vale he wants. I know where it is."

"If Harkon wants it, I'll do everything to make sure he doesn't get it" stated Isran.

He gestured to the members around him. The only one who wasn't up was Zoh, who was lying unconscious on a mat.

"Gunmar, Almono, Sorine, watch the fire. Everyone else, follow me."

"Ah, why do I have to stay?" protested Frala. "I no go with Almy, and he watches fire? You suck Isran!"

"It's not that bad little one" stated the Dunmer adjusting her. "I'm a little tired from my fight anyway."

Isran nodded. "Good. Watch over Zoh. Make sure he doesn't try anything stupid, like go off after his brother of something."

"What brother?" asked Almono curious.

Sorine poked him in the side. "I'll fill you in."

The rest of the group began to walk off, which was only five Dawnguard at the time. Serana and Isran were at the lead, guiding the entire operation.


	31. Chapter 31

Isran looked at Serana. He had his weapon drawn, but didn't exactly have a knife at her throat. He was convinced that she wouldn't do anything stupid like run off. Mainly because they had an archer in their group.

"What is this thing?" asked the Redguard curious. "And why does Harkon want it so badly?"

"It's a bow. Auriel's bow. With it he can blot out the sun to make himself even more powerful."

"Uh…" muttered Isran completely confused.

"Yeah, I'm lost too" admitted Ollrod.

Beleval nodded. "It is obviously a very high-level magical object that uses dark magic."

"Correct Bosmer huntress" stated the vampire. "Now it will only work with me."

"Work?" repeated Celann.

"It requires my assistance to blot out the sun. Without me, it's just a regular bow."

Florentius nodded. "A disturbing notion. Blotting out a star. But I must admit that it is effective. A vampire's main weakness is the sun, so the logical step is to cut off its influence."

He turned to his prisoner. "How long does the effect last?"

"Unknown" said Serana shrugging.

Ollrod grunted. "Who gives a shit? We won't let that asshole touch the bow."

"I hope not" stated the vampire calmly.

Florentius looked at her oddly. "Why do you not care for your own father?"

She glanced over at him sideways. "He exiled me to a wasteland for nearly two thousand years. I was driven insane by bloodlust until I eventually conquered it. Nothing around here to kill me, so it dissipated to a mild cranial bleeding."

Isran felt slightly reassured that she wouldn't at least try to bite him, but he still didn't trust her. After all, she was the daughter of the single biggest enemy he had his sights on. Anything was possible.

Celann held out his arm and his Daedric bird Blackwing landed on his outstretched arm. It looked at him and began to click its beak, like it was relaying a message.

"He says that there isn't any mortal life forms for at least a mile" stated the falconer listening intently. "He also says that he can't see any settlements nearby of any racial preferences."

Florentius glanced at him. "You got all that from two squawks and a few clicks?"

"No" admitted Celann. "Most of it was telepathy. The rest was for show."

The Daedric bird flew off at his last word and began to circulate again.

"Now I have to ask you Serana, what exactly are we dealing with?" asked Isran. "Who exactly is in Harkon's personal circle? We met a few people in his group already, but we don't know them all."

The vampire sighed. "My father, ever since he founded the clan, has surrounded himself with ten exceptionally powerful vampires. Each one represents a certain quality, usually bad ones. He usually has them go out to advance his goals and such, and to find possible replacements. I know of at least ten of this moment: Dazen, representing Stillness; Vingalmo, representing Pride; Agapetus, representing Mystery; Nephario, representing Insanity; Geir Osculotes, representing Despair; Aistra Raventar, representing Lust; Jawil, representing Cruelty; Feran Sadri, representing Hatred; Namzar, representing Rage; and Yin'var, representing Zeal."

Isran's head practically spun. "Uh, could you write some of that down?"

"Certainly. But only after I stop walking. It's rather difficult to write and walk after all."

Florentius was too bust processing what Serana had said. "Jawil and Vingalmo are dead. We know that Jawil was replaced by Zoh's brother Kah, but the Altmer just recently died. It is unlikely Harkon has already gotten a replacement."

"So nine vampires with Harkon in the middle? I don't like the sounds of that" murmured Ollrod. "Given how powerful Vingalmo was, the others must be pretty damn tough to be at the same level."

"But you did kill him" encouraged Serana.

"No, Almono killed him."

"But still. One of you killed a member of his court. Now we just need to kill the rest."

"That one I fought, Nephario" murmured Florentius, "he's insanely strong. I couldn't even pierce his skin with my blasts."

"Well, I'm not saying that my numbers are solid" she admitted nervously. "They've probably replaced a few of them by now."

They stopped when they saw whatever Serana was talking about. In this case it was a huge Elven palace near the top of a hill. It was immense, nearly blocking off a good portion of the sky in its way. It towered at the same height as the mountains around it, albeit not as rough.

At the very top of the castle was a glowing ball of light, similar to a star. It was rotating slowly, but there appeared to be something inside of it.

"Is that..?" asked Florentius.

"That is the Inner Sanctum" she said calmly. "It was a temple used to worship Auri-El. There are more, but this one is the main one. That ball of light is where it houses the Bow of Auriel. That is the weapon that can blot out the sun."

"Not a chance" stated Isran. "Only problem is, how do we get up there?"

Celann studied the ball of light. "That bow is too big for Blackwing to grab."

"Anyone here fly?" inquired Ollrod.

Beleval looked at the ball and the temple. "I could try to climb the outside, but I think we got some company down below."

She pointed and the others noticed what was in the courtyard. There were countless Falmer running around the outside, like bugs near a nest. Somehow, they had to get through that.

"Shit" murmured Isran. "I despise those little bastards."

Serana scowled. "There's dozens of them. And if Falmer are like roaches, then just one means at least ten. There could be hundreds in that place."

Celann knelt down and everyone stopped. While Beleval was a huntress and Isran was the leader, they relied on the spellsword for tactics.

"We can't go into that palace, its suicide" stated the Breton drawing a rough square into the snow. He quickly drew an X over it to indicate its hostility.

"Now, Beleval had a good idea. She can reach it, judging by Blackwing's observations."

He made a rough sketch of the courtyard and their current location. It showed all of them standing there, with one symbol going around the courtyard.

"Now we need to distract them from her so she can reach it. So we might have to do something really stupid."

Ollrod shifted his weapon staff. "Good. I wanted to do something stupid all day."

"If we proceed with each member guarding each other's flank at the same time Beleval is climbing to the Bow, we should be able to last long enough for her to get down."

He turned to her. "How long will it take you?"

She studied the building intently, trying to figure out the entire structure.

"Six minutes" Beleval concluded adjusting her armor.

"Good. Now, are you going to help us?" asked Isran turning to Serana. "Or do I have to bind you and leave you here?"

She drew a dagger, not in a hostile way, but as a showing of strength. "I can fight with you."

Florentius nodded. "Good that. Now, let's get this operation going."


	32. Chapter 32

Isran stepped into the courtyard of the Inner Sanctum, his large warhammer on his shoulder. The Falmer near him turned and gawked at the imposing man who had just stridden into their place.

The Redguard grinned at the shocked people and gripped his hammer.

He swung his hammer and smashed it into a Falmer head. It literally exploded like watermelon, something he found hilarious.

"Boom shakalaka!" he yelled twirling his hammer.

Ollrod strode beside him, spinning his weapon staff. Calmly cutting a Falmer in half, he smashed the mace end into a second one right beside it.

Florentius crossed his arms and spread them rapidly. An arc of sunlight exploded from his forearms and covered the area in a bath of light. Several Falmer disintegrated, while many were blinded at his actions.

Celann raised his sword and it instantly covered itself in purple magicka. Then it shaped itself into a second blade, right on top of the first one. It was a Bound Sword, on top of a regular sword. He spun and boiled through a Falmer's neck. Spinning his blade, it released a general aura of magicka around him.

Serana had her dagger raised, but she didn't look like she was going to do much with it. Then she slid a line into her wrist and placed two fingers in the cut. Twirling the blood into a Daedric symbol, she faced it outwards.

"Fight for me!" she commanded flowing her magicka through the wound.

A swirling sphere of magicka emitted from the ground and a huge Atronach stepped out. It was made of several stones and lightning. It quickly swung its arms around, knocking over multiple adversaries.

"Not bad!" complimented Celann, the licensed spellsword of the area.

They immediately formed into a circle, backing into each other as the Falmer moved around them.

"This is gonna be fun" muttered Ollrod.

"Damn right" said Isran grinning.

"Hmm" grunted Florentius.

* * *

Beleval grappled up the tower, her bow strapped across her back. It had been a while since she had scaled a building, but thankfully it had plenty of nooks and crannies for her to grab onto. It was pretty convenient since she was so rusty.

She almost slipped and quickly grabbed a stone. Yep, definitely rusty.

"Shit" she grunted to herself. The cold made it harder to move, it was like breathing blood. Not to mention the huge ass wind that threatened to throw her off the building.

"I should've just stayed down there" she murmured to herself grabbing onto a ledge. "A sword to the neck is less terrifying than a fall and breaking a neck."

She made it to a large outcropping and looked around. This Vale place truly was enormous. She couldn't even see where the mountains at the edge began, it was so thick. This Bow was clearly valuable enough to be hidden in such a place.

She leaped forward and latched onto the upper lip of the roof. This was the place that the bow was at. Or at least close enough.

She climbed up and took a breath. Successful navigation.

Beleval looked up and noticed a new shadow was standing over her, blocking out the light.

"Ah crap" she murmured to herself.

* * *

Isran blocked a strike and swung his hammer again. Three Falmer fell from one swoop and he smashed it into the ground to faze the others.

He breathed a sigh. They were not doing so well. He had two arrows in his chest and a sword cut in his stomach. Turns out Falmer were a bit faster than they imagined.

Serana raised a hand and fired a lightning bolt. It arced through ten different Falmer and downed them all.

He smiled. Least she was still showing courage. Maybe he could at least respect her before this business was done.

Ollrod was pretty happy oddly enough. He had three sword cuts in his chest and an arrow in his stomach, but he didn't look bothered at all. He was still swinging his weird weapon staff around like he just started, smashing and cleaving heads left and right.

"Come on Isran, you're letting me do all the killing!" he taunted adjusting his weapon. "Bring it you sack of cow shits!"

The Redguard chuckled to himself and began swinging again. At least he'd go down fighting, like he always imagined he would.

Florentius wasn't even close to giving up obviously. He was still firing spells without even an outward showing of exhaustion.

They all backed into their little circle, looking around at the approaching enemies.

"It's been an honor gentlemen!" yelled Ollrod bracing his weapon. "The greatest fight is always the last one!"

"Fight everything!" roared Isran.

"Right!" yelled Celann.

Something thumped above them and everyone turned to look, including the Falmer. Something was standing where the orb of light was, someone who didn't belong there.

"Well shit I didn't imagine you all would try something this stupid. Too bad you didn't bring me along."

Isran raised an eyebrow. "When did you wake up Zoh?"

The Orc grinned. "You really care? I'm here aren't I?"

He raised Auriel's Bow and notched an Elven arrow. "If my information is correct, this should be pretty effective."

Isran instantly understood. "Everyone get down!"

They all threw themselves to the ground, Serana tucking her cloak over her head.

Zoh fired the arrow.

It lit up like a torch and exploded when it hit the courtyard. It released a solid sphere of light that quickly expanded outwards, forming into a huge star on the earth.

The Falmer, too stupid to dodge, were instantly fried and withered to the bones. Obviously being underground for so long had its disadvantages. Like dying when near the sun.

Florentius stood first, not afraid of the power of sunlight. He wielded the stuff after all.

"What were you thinking?!" yelled the priest. "We have a vampire down here!"

"And why isn't that vampire dead then?" asked the Orc logically.

"She's an ally" explained Beleval, who was standing beside Zoh.

He glanced at her. "Really?"

She nodded.

The Orc shrugged. "Fine by me. We have a damn kid on our team. Might as well have a turncoat."

He looked around. "OK, I knew how to get up here, but how do I get down?"

"Jump!" encouraged Ollrod. "Come on, do it!"

"I'd die you idiot!" snapped Zoh.

"Pussy!" countered Ollrod.

"Dick!"

"You're a natural couple then" muttered Celann.

Serana giggled and Isran grinned. The two arguing males hadn't heard it and that made it all the more hilarious.

Zoh looked at Beleval. "You don't look like a retard. How do I get down?"

"This way" stated the Bosmer calmly sliding across the roof.


	33. Chapter 33

The newest group of Dawnguard walked back to the camp, Beleval holding the bow. While Zoh had managed to fire a shot, they agreed that she would be a more effective archer.

"I'm gonna get a lot of crap when I get back" murmured the Orc. "I am fairly certain that Nord child is insane as well."

Ollrod laughed. "I like her though. Wish I had a kid like that."

"You don't want kids" stated Celann mysteriously. "They eat a lot and cry. Then they grow up and bitch and still eat a lot."

"That's not entirely accurate" murmured Florentius.

They stopped when small ball of white color flew through the air and smashed into Zoh's head.

The Orc snarled and brushed the snow off his face.

"You suck Uncle Z!" yelled Frala pouting. "How could you wun off like that?! Just when Aunty Sowine began dat nice stowy with you and you bwotha!"

He scoffed. "I had things to do. I knew they needed my help."

"Bull!" cried the child. "I call bull!"

Almono reached down and hoisted her onto his shoulder. "Please calm down Frala. Mr. Zoh had things to do, and he couldn't wait to tell us about it."

Frala pouted and crossed her arms.

Beleval lifted the bow. "We got something."

"Nice weapon" commented Sorine who was beside Almono. "Why is it so special?'

"It can blot out the sun" explained Serana.

"Well. That's a nice weapon."

The vampire nodded.

They group of Dawnguard sat around the campfire, the bow resting on Zoh's lap.

"Now we have to decide what we'll do with this bow" stated Isran stroking his stubble.

"We should hide it somewhere" stated Florentius. "That way Harkon won't be able to ever get to it."

"You say its power though" pointed out Zoh stroking the bow. "This thing is incredible, it explodes when it hits something. That is…THE definition of awesome!"

Frala frantically nodded, gripping Almono's collar and resting on his head. "Dat sounds kick ass! Can I see it?"

"Well I don't want to waste arrows" stated Beleval. "Not to mention, I can't shoot it."

Sorine looked at the huntress curiously. "Why not?"

The Bosmer chuckled. "I can't draw the string back. That string could cut through a tree if you swung it hard enough."

Ollrod grabbed the bow and flicked the string. It didn't even budge and he raised an eyebrow.

"Wow. Damn thing is like a bar of iron."

He tried to pull it back, but grunted after ten solid seconds. "I can't even pull it. What is this thing made of?"

They all began to take turns, trying to pull back the string. Not a single one of them was able to, even Frala, who got incredibly frustrated.

"It's bwoken!" she declared throwing the bow to the ground.

Zoh picked it up and looked at curiously. Grabbing the string, he easily pulled it to his chin.

"Funny. I don't have any problems" he muttered to himself.

Serana raised an eyebrow. "The bow chose you obviously."

"Chose me?" repeated the Orc.

"The bow will always choose whoever wields it" explained the vampire calmly. "Normally it's given to a warrior who is known to be pure and honorable."

"Wonder why it went to me then" murmured Zoh. "I ain't exactly an honorable knight or some bullshit."

"Well, it chose you, and you get to use it" said Isran tired of talking.

"But what if Harkon gets that bow?" asked Florentius.

"Even if he gets the bow, it's useless without the girl" explained Beleval. "Logically, all we need to do is keep Serana in Fort Dawnguard and away from Harkon."

"Besides, that bow is incredibly powerful versus us vampires" stated Serana. "I would know. Sunlight is our biggest weakness after all. It would be a good idea to use it against the other Vampire Lords."

Isran nodded. "Then it's decided. We use the bow when we attack Harkon. Now, about you."

He turned to the vampire. "What will we do with you?"

"Leave her here" stated Sorine. "She's just a hindrance."

"I can help!" objected Serana.

"Yeah, by what?"

"I can point you to where my father is."

Every Dawnguard member stopped, as if the statement was the single most unexpected move of them all.

Florentius chuckled. "And to think you started off as a thief who stole my amulet."

Almono smiled. "I think we should take her with us. She's the only way we can get to Harkon."

"Agreed" said Isran grabbing the scroll. "But first, we gotta get back home."

He looked at Serana. "Know anything about this place? Like how this scroll works?"

She glanced at the golden scroll. "This thing is a teleportation scroll. High level of Conjuration involved in this. As far as I know, it's programmed to go to two different locations. The first is here, which you all obviously figured out. The second is Harkon's castle."

The Dawnguard looked at her astonished.

"So, that's how we get there?" inquired Ollrod.

"Yes. It's one of the fastest ways. Sadly it only works while we are in this place. Anywhere else will just teleport you here."

Isran rubbed his chin again. "Do you have any clues to where we will land in his palace?"

"No" admitted the vampire sadly.

The Redguard sighed. "If we land in the middle of his freaking dining room, that would be bad. But if we were on the roof or something…"

He chuckled. "It's one mean opportunity."

"I could navigate you through the palace well enough" stated Serana. "I know it like the back of my hand."

Almono stood, Frala still on his back. "Well then let's get going! I'm ready to get some more blood on my sword."

Ollrod laughed and stood beside him. "Right back at ya. You interrupted my fight with that Altmer, so I get the first blood."

"Suits me just fine. But you can't stop me from the next kills."

Isran grabbed the scroll and raised it to the same level as his shoulders. "Let's get the ball moving ladies and gentlemen."

He opened it and it flew towards the nearest pillars. Once there it opened up and a large fissure opened up in the air.

It widened and revealed a large garden filled with wild bushed and trees. It looked like it was inside of a castle, but the garden itself wasn't very well kept.

"It's my mother's garden" stated Serana. "I know where to go from here."

"Good that" said Zoh notching an arrow into his bow. Unlike the other two hunters, he had very few arrows with him. He really only had about thirty in a small slit in the back of his shirt he was using as a sheath.

They began to walk through, feeling the same feeling as before. This time it was like stepping through ice cold water and landing in lukewarm sand. It felt kinda weird, like the air inside the castle was made of stone.

Isran stepped through last and the scroll closed. Grabbing it mid-air, he slipped it into his pocket.

"Well…let's get…"

He stopped and sniffed the air. Something didn't feel right.

He looked up and scowled. Everyone else did too, and had a similar reaction.

"Damn it" murmured Zoh.

A lone figure stood on top of a huge castle wall, nearly fifty feet above them. HE was blocking off the moon, which was a crescent behind him. He carried a huge battle-axe that was darker then the night itself.

"So Lord Harkon was correct" stated Kah looking down at the Dawnguard. "I didn't think you would find the pillars so quickly."

He raised an eyebrow. "You seem surprised to see me. Isran, does my appearance scare you?"

"No" admitted Isran. "But it aggravates me. How could someone like you turn to their side? I never imagined you would turn against your own brother."

"Turn from what side? Did I really do something that horrific?" asked Kah curiously. "That statement comes from a one-sided argument that says all vampires are evil and all Dawnguard are good. Now who is the real arrogant one?"

Zoh didn't say anything. He was looking at his brother blankly, as if he was preparing himself for what was tasked ahead of him.

"Take the bow" he said tossing it to Sorine. "I got things to do."

Isran nodded. "You better make it out Zoh."

"I will. With my brother on my back."

Serana pointed to her right. "This way."

The rest of the Dawnguard walked off, leaving the two brothers alone.

"I won't bother trying to convince you to come back" stated Zoh. "You have made it clear to me whose side you are on. Hopefully I won't have to kill you to reveal that I am stronger, and the Dawnguard are as well. If that's why you joined Harkon, then I can at least show you that he is weaker."

"That's a noble goal. And a logical one" commented Kah. "I am impressed with your reasoning. However, I know who is stronger. And it is certainly not you."

He raised his battleax. "So let's settle this. Brother versus brother. You have to love the irony of this."

"Sorry, but I wasn't born with a sense of irony" replied Zoh.

"Ouch. Double irony" muttered Kah.

Then the elder Orc leaped down and landed in the courtyard, his battleax ready to fight.


	34. Chapter 34

Kah swung his axe and sliced through a tree in his way.

Zoh leaped backwards and retaliated with a swing of his sword. Clashing their blades, they grunted from effort.

Then the younger Orc spun, aimed at his brother's head.

Kah blocked the strike and parried it. Slicing into his brother's leg, he smacked him with the blunt side.

Zoh stepped backwards and stabbed forward. Nicking his the elder Orc in the side, he grabbed him by the shirt and threw him across the garden.

Kah landed in a shrub and tried to get up. Then he saw his younger brother standing over him with his sword raised high.

The elder Orc leaped backwards and just missed getting sliced in the chest. Swinging, his brother crossed weapons.

The two Orcs glared at each other, neither one of them having any regret on their face. They looked like two warriors who despised each other's guts.

"Even now, you won't try to reason with me?" asked Kah almost saddened.

"Reason has left you obviously. I see no reason to waste my time. If you truly can be convinced to come back with me, then hopefully you will figure it out."

"Then you learned the most important lesson of them all little brother. People make their own decisions. No one else makes them for them."

"Which is why I know you can still come back."

They pushed back and began rapidly striking each other, matching almost perfectly in blows. Not your average sight in the middle of a garden.

They locked blades and Zoh snarled. "I still don't understand. Why do you fight me? What do you hope to achieve?"

"I wish to enlighten you on what power can be like. If I can beat you, then maybe I can convince you to join my side."

The younger Orc leaned into his sword. "A good theory my brother, but power is not everything. Honor is the most important aspect of a warrior."

"That one thing is what makes us different then brother. You seek honor, I seek power."

Kah growled. "Maybe I can't convince you. But I can at least hit you so hard you will never intervene with Lord Harkon's plans."

* * *

Isran sprinted through the castle, the rest of the Dawnguard behind him. Serana was apparently leading them to the door, which was a pretty smart idea. Rule Number 1 of any operation: Find the door and put your back to it.

"Your next right" said the vampire right behind him.

The Redguard turned the corner, and saw the door. It was apparently inside of a dining room area, which was pretty disgusting. Disgusting because there were fresh corpses sorted all around the table where the vampires obviously ate.

Serana instinctively licked her lips and her eyes widened. Her breathing rate increased and she gripped her right arm.

"I-I-I-I d-don't…I-I don't n-need it. I-I don't need it" she whispered to herself.

Florentius grabbed her by the shoulder. "Just keep walking."

They moved around the table, keeping Serana as far from the table as possible.

They reached the door and Isran turned back.

"So, should we try to kill Harkon now?" asked the Redguard.

"We can't use the bow" pointed out Sorine. "We need Zoh."

"And he's fighting his brother" murmured Celann.

"It's still 9 to 1" pointed out Almono. "We can take him."

"Not exactly" stated an unknown voice stepping out from the edge of the dining room.

They turned and looked at the man standing before them. He wore a long red robe that was accented with metal plates all over his chest and shoulders. His hair was tied back and he wore a bone circlet on his head like a crown.

"Father" murmured Serana.

Harkon grinned. "Ah, my dear daughter. It's been so long. I must admit, this move is most unexpected of you. Especially you Dawnguard members. I never anticipated such a bold move on your part."

He shrugged. "Oh well. I guess there's no point in just letting you wreck my home."

"We're gonna kill you Harkon" snarled Isran drawing his warhammer.

The Master Vampire Lord raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's incredibly interesting. Because last time I checked…you were inside MY house. And in my house, my rules apply."

He narrowed his eyes. "And in my house, anything that doesn't share my blood is not allowed."

He raised his arm and a small purple ball appeared in it. "So leave my house."

Serana's eyes widened. "Dodge that!"

Harkon fired the ball.

It sailed towards them and expanded outwards like a Conjuration spell. Then it enveloped them completely and caused all of them to vanish.

Isran slammed into the ground and rolled. He quickly scrambled for purchase before he fell into ice cold water.

Bubbling, he rose to the surface and looked around. He was in the middle of an island. And that island was where the Harkon's castle was.

"He…teleported us out?" asked Florentius surprised.

"He did say it was his house" pointed out Serana.

Isran shook the water from his helmet. "I am beginning to think we can't fight him."

"Nonsense!" yelled Almono. "He's a coward disguised in a fancy suit! I was only caught off-guard by that attack! Let's get that bastard!"

"YAY!" exclaimed Frala on his back. "Let's tear dat guy a new asshole!"

Sorine glared at them. "Don't be stupid. If we rush in, all Harkon has to do is flood us with his minions."

"Shit!" cried Celann loudly.

They looked at him. "What?"

"We left Zoh in there!"

Isran swore loudly. "How are we going to get him out?"

Serana looked around. "We're on the south side of the island. I can get us inside in a matter of minutes."

"Let's go!" squeaked Frala. "No leavin' Uncle Z behind!"


	35. Chapter 35

Kah twirled his axe and smashed through a tree nearby. Kicking out, he cracked another in his way.

Zoh leaped back and chopped behind him, clearing the path. Fighting in an overgrown garden as actually a little tough, considering how far it had grown onto the paths. There were vines and trees everywhere constantly blocking the way that they needed to go.

The younger Orc stabbed forward and his brother blocked. Releasing his axe, he punched the younger Orc in the face.

Zoh stumbled back and deflected the next blow. Assuming a battle stance, he stopped when his brother's blade turned a different color.

"RAAAGH!" yelled the older Orc flaring his blade.

A black wave of magicka burst from his blade and cut through the trees in its way.

Zoh rolled under it and stared in awe. Kah's blade was a deep red now and looked down right evil. It radiated this sickly aura of death that made him feel sick.

"Is that what Harkon showed you? The ability to use darkness as a weapon?" asked the younger Orc curiously.

"How did you guess?" countered Kah. "It's something you could never learn from those stupid Dawnguard. It's my trump card."

"A trump card? A lousy one at that then" stated Zoh snarling. He raised his blade. "Let me show you a trump card!"

He raised his sword far above his head and roared:

"KREIN MIIN NOROK!"

Pure white light burst from his blade and radiated across the battlefield. It then sharpened against the edge, fanning outwards and upwards like a flame.

"So you really are a Dragonborn? Lord Harkon had guessed at that. I guess he was right."

Zoh snarled. "I could give a shit less about your precious Lord Harkon. But I am a Dragonborn. I figured that out pretty quickly. But that really doesn't matter. So let's just settle this. Finish what we always had in our hearts, even before we joined the Dawnguard."

Kah nodded. "I agree. This wasn't because of our choices that we made. This is destiny. Two brothers in combat. We were meant to do this."

They raised their blades, one of darkness and another of light.

"Finish it brother!" yelled Kah.

"Only if you are willing to do the same!" exclaimed Zoh.

They both swung, trailing opposing energies along their blades.

Then they connected and exploded violently, just like at the lake.

The two Orc snarled at each other, their blades glowing red hot. It was enough to actually move the stones under them and start to blow wind into the trees.

Zoh looked into his brother's face and was surprised at what he saw. Kah had grown longer fangs that were serrated at the edges and shone brilliantly. His eyes were a deep red that looked like old blood. His skin was now completely ashy, almost a grey-green at this point. Not to mention two horns were sprouting from his brow, similar to goat horns.

Kah stared into his brother's face, astonished at how he had changed. Zoh now had a ring around each of his eyes that was a bright white in color. Two wings were coming from his back, similarly designed to angel wings. They glowed with a holy essence that sent shivers up the vampire's spine.

Their blades began to get so hot it was actually burning their faces.

They leaped back and threw down their blades. They were too hold to even hold at this point, like they were full of magma.

Kah glared at his brother. "How can you achieve such a state? How much power has being a Dragonborn given you?"

"Plenty to show you that you are wrong" stated Zoh angrily.

"Your Dragonborn abilities are not what I was arguing about. Think about it. Even if I abandon Lord Harkon and come back, I will never achieve your prowess as a Dragonborn. It is a logical fact. Even though I did not join for more power, your argument wouldn't have worked anyway."

Zoh chuckled. "What are we now? Two old men arguing stupid arguments. We used to scoff at those people. Don't tell me being only 30 counts as being old nowadays."

"Not that I am aware of" replied the elder Orc. "I guess maybe those old bastards had a point when they argued. At least they did something. All we're doing is trying to kill each other."

The younger Orc stopped. "Is that a plea to stop this fighting? What do you mean?"

"I never wanted you to fight me brother. All you have to do is leave the Dawnguard and leave Lord Harkon alone. I will never pursue you brother, nor will my Lord. If you truly wish to end this, then walk away."

Zoh snarled. "I won't walk away. Not until you come back with me! Even if I have break your bones and carry you back! I will help you brother!"

Someone tapped on stone, a sound that was much louder than normal. It was like a giant had flicked on a castle, but compacted into a small space.

Both brothers turned and stared at the figure above them. He stood on top of a tree, as if he did so daily. It appeared that he had tapped a cane into the tree like a rock.

"Harkon…" murmured Zoh.

Kah straightened and jumped to join his master on top of the tree. He did so with a grace that even he didn't know he had.

"Lord Harkon. What is it?" asked the elder Orc curiously.

Harkon smiled, then drew his sword.

Kah spat blood and gasped. He felt like he had been cut by a lightning bolt, as if it was instantaneous.

"No!" cried Zoh.

Kah's body fell to the ground, completely cleaved in two from the waist.

Zoh crawled over to his brother and cradled his upper half.

"Brother! Do not leave me! We can heal you!" he said against hope.

Kah smiled, despite the fact that he was dying. "No brother. It is not possible. I am too far gone."

Zoh began to cry, tears pouring onto his dying brother's shirt. "Don't go. Stay."

Kah began to close his eyes. "Sorry brother. I must go."

Then he stopped breathing and the one known as Kah gro-Malok was no more.

Zoh wept furiously, staring into his brother's face. It wasn't possible…

"NO! YOU CAN'T DIE! I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH! BROTHER!" yelled the younger Orc gripping his cold body.

He glared at Harkon. "YOU BASTARD! WHY DID YOU KILL YOUR OWN SUBORDINATE! HE WAS AN ALLY, HE TRUSTED YOU! HE BELIEVED IN YOU!"

"And look where that got him" stated the Master Vampire Lord calmly. "I think it's pretty easy to see what happens when you trust a man like me."

"You are no man! YOU ARE AN ANIMAL!"

"To each his own" murmured Harkon nonchalantly.

Zoh snarled and gripped his sword. Then he reached around and grabbed his brother's battleax.

As soon as he touched it, the red color in the blade vanished, replaced by a pleasant yellow glow. It was as if all the evil that his brother had fused into the blade came out when he met him.

Then it exploded into white light as his sunlight was infused into the blade.

"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!" he exclaimed raising both of the weapons.

His wings exploded outwards as they grew to nearly three feet long. The rings around each eye grew outwards until they touched his cheek bones and grew eight points, like stars.

Harkon raised an eyebrow at the showing of strength. Obviously this Orc was far more interesting than his brother.

"Go on then. Strike me down to avenge your brother" stated the Master Vampire Lord calmly. "I wait for your response."

Zoh leaped through the air, trailing both blades behind him. Then he spun and swung them both in a deadly arc at Harkon's head.

The vampire lifted his forearm.

The blades smashed into his arm and stopped dead, as if they had hid a steel wall. There wasn't even a dent or the sound of him getting hit.

"Is that really all you possess Dawnguard?" asked the Master Vampire Lord. He looked into the Orc's eyes. "I thought I said strike me down."

Zoh snarled and readied another strike.

"DIE!" he screamed swinging again.

Harkon back-handed him and sent him flying to the ground. He smashed into the stone walkway and bounced, catching himself in an oak tree.

The Master Vampire Lord glided down, as if he possessed wings on his back. For the record, he did not.

"Pathetic. I should've thought that your anger would suffice to at least intrigue me for a little while. But alas, it does not. Even some of my own men fight harder than this. This is almost pitifully sad."

Someone sprinted into the courtyard, moving like a black shadow. It glided over the stone walkways as if it didn't even touch them, moving like a wisp.

Then it snatched up Zoh without breaking pace and kept moving.

"Hmm. My dear daughter Serana. You truly have betrayed me" noted her father rather coldly. "Ah well. I am grateful. They can try again a little while later. Maybe they can entertain a few of my men when they come back. Hmm. That'd be nice."

* * *

Serana sprinted through the castle, carrying Zoh over her shoulder. She knew where the others were waiting and had to get there ASAP. They had only a limited amount of time until they were discovered again, and they were not ready for that.

She reached them and Isran stared at the Orc's limp body in wonder. "Stendarr's mercy. What did they do to him?"

"No time for that" reminded Florentius. "We need to get moving."

Ollrod took the limp Orc. "I'll carry him."

"This way" instructed Serana.


	36. Chapter 36

Zoh woke up screaming.

He lunged at an invisible enemy before him, scraping his claws into the stone beside him. Then he stopped and realized it was a nightmare.

"Shit" he murmured panting heavily. "That was rather…unpleasant."

He looked at his figure. He had a few bandages on his frame from his most recent fights, and some scars, but looked fine.

He glanced at his gear. His suit of armor was there, as was his broadsword.

And Kah's battleax.

Only then did he remember what had happened.

"I…I am alone" he murmured to himself.

He looked at his hands, as if they could answer the question he couldn't ask. "I…I am truly alone. Kah is dead."

"Yes my brave warrior, he is" stated a voice from the side.

Zoh instantly spun, raising his left arm defensively. Despite the whip-lash of pain he got from it, he didn't flinch.

"Oh, please be easy my son. I don't mean to hurt ya."

An old men stepped out of the shadows, an odd looking one. He wore a straw hat over his head that did a decent job of blocking most of his head. He wore a simple white robe and sandals and carried a small satchel on his back. He looked like a Nord hermit.

"Who are you?" inquired Zoh.

"A friend" stated the old man smiling. He took his satchel off and opened it.

The Orc smelled savory soup and his mouth watered. He hadn't eaten in a while and that period of unconsciousness had left him barren of food.

The old man smoothly pulled out a gourd and popped the lid. Only then did it reveal that the soup was inside of it.

"Would you like a bowl?" asked the old man.

"Sure" stated the Orc not willing to refuse free food.

The hermit poured a bowl and gave it to him.

Zoh sipped it. Despite the small amount he got, it filled his body with warmth he hadn't felt in forever.

"Good, right?" said the old man grinning. "I carry it around Skyrim to get that shaken consistency. Not to mention to throw in any ingredients I find along the way."

Zoh couldn't have cared less. He was too busy trying to savor the soup as long as possible.

"Dragonborn" stated the old man suddenly serious.

Zoh turned to him. "Yes? How do you know this?"

"I am a friend of a friend" stated the old man mysteriously. "He knows all the Dragonborn."

"May I meet him then?" asked the Orc.

"No. He's not good around people."

"Fine then. Why have you come to me?"

The hermit sighed. "You are a recent Dragonborn. Out of all of them you are one of the latest bloomers. Please don't be offended by this. It's quite natural for it to have evaded you."

"Are you here to train me?" asked Zoh curiously. He wasn't entirely sure how an old man could possibly train a hardened warrior, but he was open for debate.

"Yes and no. I came here to empower you."

He lifted a black book, one with a silver dragon emblazoned on it. "This book is crucial to your training. With it you can avenge your brother and defeat Lord Harkon. But it is imperative that you read it."

"Is this a book your friend has?" inquired the Orc.

The old man smiled. "He wrote the book."

The warrior grabbed it and flipped through a few pages. Then he stopped.

"I cannot read it" he determined almost immediately.

"No, you simply aren't thinking hard enough."

Zoh concentrated on the weird symbols on the pages. It wasn't even lettering to his eyes, it was just weird dash marks on the page in different patterns.

Then somewhere in his mind something clicked. It was like a boulder had slid down a mountain and was gaining acceleration.

"I understand this" he murmured surprised.

"Good. Then you are Dragonborn" said the old man smiling.

He began reading, noting the different things inside the book. Then he stopped.

"Why does your friend want to help me?"

The old man chuckled. "He himself is a Dragonborn. He wishes to help the other ones so they can help him."

"Help him do what?"

"Fight Alduin the World-Eater."

Zoh stopped. "The bringer of the end times in the ancient Nordic tales? I don't even believe in that nonsense."

"It is not nonsense. Alduin is returning to Skyrim, and he will kill everything in his way. Such is his destiny. And it is yours to defeat him."

"Well that's all well and good, but when will we fight him?"

The old man shrugged. "Only one person knows, and he isn't talking to us."

"Your friend?" presumed Zoh.

"No. Someone much wiser and older."

Zoh shrugged. "Suits me just fine."

He glanced at the battleax leaning on the corner. "I have business to attend to before my destiny."

"Most other Dragonborn do. Take all the time you need. After all, Harkon is only human."

The old man stood. He kept the gourd where it was though.

"Feel free to eat the soup. It'll help you recover. And keep reading that book. It was written for you specially, after all."

Zoh nodded. 'I thank you for your gestures."

The old man smiled. "It is no problem. This was a special job, and I was honored to get out of my house. Good day to you Zoh gro-Malok."

Then he stepped out of the room and utterly vanished.

Zoh cracked open the book. "Let's see here. Anti-vampire tactics…"


	37. Chapter 37

Isran studied the plans set before him, his most trusted advisors at his side. And Serana. He didn't entirely trust her yet, so had his weapon with him. Either way, Florentius could wipe her away if she tried anything.

"So we have at least seven of Harkon's council accounted for?" he asked looking at the details.

"Exactly" replied Serana, their only source of information. "With Kah being dead, that left nine. I am fairly certain Agapetus left, since he was a shady guy to begin with. And then I know Vingalmo died. We have seven men to deal with."

"I call the asshole named Aistra" stated Sorine crossing her arms. "I and he got unfinished business."

"Be careful then" stated the vampire. "He is a tough one. I'm surprised they didn't send him to fetch me."

"I want anyone who can fight worth a damn" stated Ollrod with his weapon-staff on his shoulder.

"There are many of those, but I recommend not fighting Dazen or Feran Sadri. Both of them are exceptionally good at dealing with melee types such as yourself."

"I will take the one known as Dazen" stated Florentius. "From your report Gunmar, I can fight him."

"Cool with me. I hated the bastard too much to want to fight him again."

Isran sighed. "Well we need you to direct us into their quarters. If our tactics go right, we should be able to get separate them from each other, making for an easier fight."

"I go after Harkon" stated Zoh with three weapons on his back. Two of them were melee weapons, his and his brother's blades. The third was Auriel's Bow that was around his hip. "From what I saw, only this bow can truly hurt him. My abilities, even when fully powered, were unable to hurt him. Only a bow of such capabilities could kill him."

"Correct" stated Serana. "Only you can defeat him."

"So primary objective: Get Zoh to Harkon's chambers. Second objective: Kill every single vampire inside that castle."

"Uh, does that include me?" asked the vampire nervously.

"No" stated Isran calmly. "While I hate the idea, my honor forbids me from attacking one of my allies even if my personal creed demands it. So once this is over, I will give you three days head-start to get away from here."

Florentius looked at him. "Perhaps that is a little too cold my friend. I mean, she is helping us take out our biggest enemy. She could…stay in a part of the fort perhaps?"

The Redguard looked at him like he was talking nonsense. "Are you kidding? Just because she is an ally doesn't excuse the fact that she's a vampire. If she becomes particularly ravenous, she may try to kill us. Not to mention, how would we hide her from the other recruits? That doesn't send a great image to the rest if we make exceptions."

"I do not wish to stay" said Serana determined. "I just want my father to die and get it over with."

Zoh nodded. "Good. Then I will ask for your help when the time comes."

They all looked at him. "What?"

Zoh glared at them all for questioning his reason. "She has the same look I do in her eyes. She wants to see Harkon bleeding on the floor. And I will gladly let her help me."

Isran shrugged. "Fine by me. Just spare some of the killing for me."

"Gladly. But first things first, we need to get back into that valley. Otherwise out summoning scroll won't work."

"Correct" stated Serana. "However, I think I know how to alter it to get to the secret entrance."

"Well let's do that then. I hate being caught off guard" stated Almono carrying Frala on his back. "I hope I can get another cool opponent like Vingalmo."

"Take your turn" stated Gunmar grudgingly. "I haven't even gotten a fight."

"Bitch, it's my turn" countered Ollrod. "My blade's getting itchy."

"You all suck!" yelled Frala. "Almy goes fowst!"

"Listen girl, I get the next one! Your little buddy managed to snatch one, and I've been left to dry!" exclaimed Gunmar.

"Nonsense! They plenty of vampies in dat Hawkon's fowt to go awound!"

"Then why won't you share them?" asked Ollrod logically. "If we have plenty to choose from, we can just take any we want."

"NO! Almy gets fowst pick!"

Isran glared at them. "Shut up you idiots! Just take whatever vampire you want when we get there! Finders keepers."

Celann rubbed his temples. "Seriously. Is it that hard to just go in and kill everything in your way? So much planning for a simple kill. I didn't expect such a thing out of you."

"Says the smart-ass spellsword!" yelled Gunmar. "I bet you got a target all planned out in your head!"

"Not really" replied the Imperial. "I just hope to get one of Harkon's Circle before this is over."

Serana grabbed the scroll. "Just give me a moment to write a new code into the scroll. It won't take any more than an hour."

"Then stock up team" ordered Isran. "I want you all prepared to kill some people before we leave."


	38. Chapter 38

Zoh sharpened his brother's battleax, admiring the blade made of black metal. He was grateful he had taken it. It was honorable to pick up a fallen warrior's weapon to kill his murderer. He hoped to do just that.

"Do not worry my brother" he said rubbing the blade. "I carry you inside this blade of yours. It is your spirit that will strike down Harkon. We will strike down Harkon together."

He looked at the bow on his back. He didn't appreciate having to carry this weapon, but it was a means to an end.

"Auriel, I do not know you" he said twitching the string, "But I appreciate having you make this bow to kill vampires. And while I will not let you deal the final blow, I am grateful to have your weapon aid me."

"Why you talkin to yo weapons Uncle Z?" asked a cute voice from behind.

He looked up and noted that Frala, the small Nord child was sitting on his head. He decided not to be mean so he didn't shake her off.

"Get off my head" he ordered firmly.

She pouted and plopped beside him on the bench. "You didn't answa my question Uncle Z. Why you talkin to yo weapons?"

He sighed. "You wouldn't understand child. This was my brother's axe. I wield it in his honor, since he is no longer with me."

"Yeah he is" replied the child curiously.

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She didn't answer directly and put a small hand on his heart.

"He's here" she said pressing it into his armor.

Zoh stopped and stared at the child. She smiled up at him and giggled.

"You making a funny face Uncle Z."

He smiled and nuzzled her hair. "Thank you Frala. That…made me feel better."

"No pwoblem Uncle Z!" she yelled happily.

"Frala!" exclaimed Almono standing around the others. "We're ready to go!"

"Wight!" yelled the child running to him.

"Stand to solider!" he ordered sternly.

She snapped to attention, frilling her long tunic and hair.

"About face!" the Dunmer yelled.

She turned to her left.

Then he laughed and scooped her up in his arms. Then he stopped and stood straight.

"Soldier! Assume alpha position!"

"Wight!" she shouted crawling up to his shoulders. Then she nestled herself between the sword sheath and his head, with her arms on top of his skull.

"Alpha position assumed captain!" she exclaimed.

"Good work! Await further orders private!"

"Wight captain!"

They both laughed and Almono looked at the confused Zoh.

"Teaching her the ways of war" he explained. "No point in trying to keep her away from it. She's already a good fighter."

The Orc shrugged. "Not judging. I learned to fight when I was five."

Isran stepped up and clapped his hands, getting their attention. "Let's get moving people! We need to reach the castle by noon, otherwise our advantage will be nil."

Serana lifted the scroll and handed it to Isran. "Whenever you are ready."

The Redguard nodded and walked to the nearest pillars. The group of Dawnguard followed, nine in total. Gunmar, Isran, Sorine, Serana, Zoh, Almono and his child Frala (still considered one person), Ollrod, Beleval, Celann and Florentius. While Serana was a vampire and technically the enemy, a good chunk of them considered her an ally. Her bravery on the battlefield showed that quality rather clearly.

Isran opened the scroll and it opened the gate into the Forgotten Vale.

"Tally-ho!" he yelled sprinting through the gate.

Once they all got in the gate closed behind them, with Serana hefting the scroll again.

"What are the chances your father deployed reinforcements here?" asked Florentius.

"Not very high. He prefers to have his men around him. But he has been known to change his mind."

Celann looked up at his flying falcon and clicked his tongue thrice. His bird responded with a few caws and he nodded.

"No life forms at all. That's weird. He mentioned some Falmer last time we were here."

"Odd, but irrelevant. Let's get moving team" ordered Isran running over the ice.

As they moved, many of them were looking around, noting the total emptiness of the place. Before they could hear birds chirping and little rabbits darting about. Now there was absolutely nothing, as if all the animals had packed up and left.

"Do you think…they slaughtered them all?" asked Beleval nervously.

"Impossible" determined Ollrod. "No bodies or blood anywhere."

"They can turn the bodies to ash" pointed out Florentius.

"No point in worrying about it" said Gunmar gripping his axe. "Let's just get to the pillars and get psyched up."

He whooped in joy. "Gods I feel pumped! Come on ya'll! First one there gets the first kill!"

He began full on sprinting, seemingly ignoring the fact that he weighed at least two-hundred fifty pounds.

"No faiw!" cried Frala. "Geddyup captain!"

"Hang on private!" yelled Almono running after Gunmar, the happy bubbling child on his back.

Ollrod put his weapon-staff across his shoulders and began sprinting as well, moving rather fast for such a stout man.

Zoh grunted. While he was tempted to go after them, he decided against it.

Isran obviously didn't have the same goals in mind.

"Wait up bitches!" yelled the Redguard sprinting after them , his warhammer on his shoulder.

Florentius chuckled. "So childish. But at least they're excited."

Celann nodded. "I am grateful we finally get to end this. Or, get close to ending it."

Zoh grunted in approval. "I won't rest until my brother is avenged. And his blood can only be atoned for with Harkon's."

Beleval looked at him. "You sound different. You sound like a man bent on revenge."

"I am. Hatred is what fuels my heart" stated the Orc putting a fist over his chest. "It's all that I have known. The only love I had was the love two brothers share, which balanced my life. Now that my brother is dead, hatred rules over me."

Unbeknownst to him, his fist was beginning to hurt because his hands were growing nails. They were jet black and dug into his palm. He didn't feel it however, since he was far too concentrated on his goal.

"I will kill them all!" he roared.

**Now I apologize for the long wait and small update. It's been difficult with my finals coming up and all. But I promise that this story is coming to a close.**


	39. Chapter 39

The group of Dawnguard arrived at the pillars and looked around. There wasn't any difference between when they had last come here and now. The fire pit was still there, as was the dent from where they had accidentally dropped Zoh.

"Well, it's time" stated Isran. He didn't lift up the scroll though. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think now we need to truly be ready."

They all nodded, dead serious for once. Even Frala wasn't making any comments.

"This could be our funeral procession people. We could very well be walking to our graves."

He grinned. "But I fucking guarantee that we'll be taking a few of those bastards with us!"

They all cheered and he hushed them down. "Now, this is an old thing we used to do back in my unit in the Legion. While most of it is bullshit, some of it is pretty good stuff."

He put out his hand. "Put your hands on mine."

They all did so, eventually stacking up with Frala's on top.

"Today we forge our destiny in the flames of battle" he recited fluently. "Be strong, and your soul will never shake. Be strong, and your body will not fail. Be strong, and your mind will not crack. For even if we separate from each other, our hearts will beat as one!"

They gave a general whoop and everyone looked excited at this.

"Let's get going!" roared Ollrod. "Come on! I've been waiting too long for some good kills!"

Isran nodded and opened the scroll.

Instantly it shifted itself into the gate into HArkons' palace. This time it appeared in a dark tunnel of sorts. It really did look like a secret entrance.

"Most vampires will be taking their mid-day nap by now" explained Serana. "We got surprise on our side."

"Should we scream when we run in, or after we find them?" asked Gunmar.

"Preferablly after. But if you get caught, go ahead and start screaming."

"Well let's hope we get caught mighty soon" said Almono pumping his fist. "I feel my heart pounding in my chest! It's too much to handle!"

"Yay! Let's go Almy!" exclaimed Frala.

Then they walked through the portal and began their assault.

* * *

Harkon looked at the sphere of red liquid before him, noting what was happening. A large ripple had appeared in it, giving him the message someone had infiltrated the castle. However, it didn't give him the direction of their infiltration.

Someone walked into his room, brushing their robe on the floor.

"Lord Harkon" said Yin'var bowing low. "What is it you need of me?"

The Master Vampire Lord turned. "The Dawnguard have come back. They have Auriel's Bow."

The Argonian stopped dead. "What? How could they have reassembled themselves so quickly?"

"Irrelevant" stated the Imperial waving it aside. "We have more important things to do."

He glanced at the map of his facility. "Hmm. I think I know where they are."

He pointed to the lower side of his building. "My harbor. Well, it used to be."

He grinned sadistically. "Tell me Yin'var, who lives near the harbor?"

The Argonian quickly got the message. "Namzar sir."

Harkon burst into laughter. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

He turned quickly. "Wake him up. Piss him off enough and get him to where they are going."

He turned back to the map. "It's about time I gave them a proper welcome."

* * *

The group of Dawnguard walked deeper through the secret entrance, getting deeper and deeper inside the castle. They were still worried that at any moment they would be utterly wiped out, but they had resolve in their hearts.

"So, I haven't even heard anyone coming" said Ollrod.

Celann sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything. Neither does Blackwing."

He nudged the falcon on his shoulder. "She is sensing from powerful magicka though. Something is fouling up the region."

"Well let's stop his mucking about and kill him" stated Almono.

They reached a large atrium room and the aura of power suddenly became obvious. It was like a fog covering the area.

"Talos, this is powerful" muttered Sorine. "How could this much energy be built up this place?"

They looked up and saw that something was dropping from the ceiling.

The something smashed into the floor, sending up a huge chunk of rubble. Whatever it was, it was stained red.

The thing stood and revealed that it was a Redguard vampire. He wore a long crimson robe with a large crest wrapping around his collar. His head was shaved and had a large pinstripe tattoo covering it.

He stood up and yawned deeply. "Gods damn you all. I was having a nice nap until you idiots came in here. Now since I'm the unofficial guard, I have to kill you."

"Well if you're a guard, you sucked last time" taunted Gunmar. "We walked right in."

"Fuck you" said the Redguard vampire defensively. "I was sleeping. And if you're going to insult me, then know my name."

He reached into his robe and drew a large mace with a solid square chunk of metal on the end.

"Call me Namzar. Aspect of Rage."

Then he raised his mace and swung downwards.

The floor split from the blow and sent up a huge line of splitting rocks. The group dodged and it went all the way back into the hallway.

Namzar grinned. "So I got nine opponents? Even for me, that really isn't fair."

Suddenly several chunks of the floor rose up as if propelled by magic. From those chunks were Zoh, Sorine, Gunmar, Almono and Frala, and Isran.

"Shit!" yelled the blacksmith. "What's happening?"

Namzar laughed loudly. "Geir Osculates! I was wondering when you would show some of your magic!"

The five Dawnguard (technically six) rose towards the ceiling and combined into a circular chunk of stone. Continuing their ascent, they slid evenly into a hole that was inside the ceiling.

Ollrod laughed at the turn of events. "So now it's only five against you. So can you pack it big guy? Can ya!"

He raised his weapon-staff. "Everyone! Stay back! I got this!"

Beleval rolled her eyes. "Stupid boy. So damn typical of you."

The weapon-master grinned. "Ha! Take that you idiots! I do get the first kill!"


	40. Chapter 40

The six Dawnguard slid into the hole in the ceiling, anticipating the battle ahead of them. Obviously the entire scenario had been planned ahead of them. Obviously the guy named Geri Osculates was dragging them further into a trap.

"Geir represents Despair, correct?" asked Gunmar.

"Unless Serana was lying, then yes" stated Isran. "I do not know what to expect from him. We have not confronted him yet, nor a good chunk of the other vampires."

They saw a light above them and determined that they were getting near the end of the track.

Zoh gripped his brother's battleax in his left, with his original broadsword in his right. "Get ready people."

They finally stopped inside of a large atrium room and noticed something rather quickly. There were long glass columns positioned in the room filled with various things. These things went from animal parts to possible humanoid limbs. Scattered around them were paper notes and various other tools. It looked like a laboratory.

They turned and saw that two men were standing at the end of the room, both of them radically different. One of them was long and thin and wore a white robe on top of a grey jacket. He wore a set of glasses that complimented his green hair.

The other was relatively short and small, almost like a young teenager. His hair was deep silver and cut neatly on his head. Despite this appearance, he looked rather rugged, as if he had shaved with a knife. He appeared to be a Dunmer, but his eyes were a deep yellow instead of the usual red.

"It looks like I got your test subjects in here Nephario" said the teenager blankly. "Now I'm going to go."

The tall man beside him giggled and smiled. "Go on ahead. I wanted to have them all by myself anyway."

"So you are Geir Osculates?" asked Isran pointing to the teenager. "Namzar downstairs said you were into magic."

"A little" admitted Geir throwing a hood over his head. It was the same color as his jacket, black. "But it doesn't really matter. Even if you get past Nephario, the only ones even close to this room are Aistra and Dazen. There's no chance you'll survive those encounters stacked on top of what Nephario can do to you."

He turned to the mad doctor. "So please get on with it. I'm going to take a nap again."

Nephario nodded. "Your efforts have been appreciated. But get going before I confuse you for an enemy."

The teenage vampire walked off and the mad doctor smiled at his six guests.

"Almy!" yelled Frala poitint got him. "His eyes!"

They looked up and noticed that he was no longer wearing a bandage on his face.

Nephario laughed. "How observant. I assume your priest told you about my powers and my appearance?"

He removed his glasses and rubbed his new eye. "Yes, I originally got rid of my eye on a whim. But I decided to have it back. A little surgery here, some compatibility tests there, and I have an eye again."

He shrugged. "But the relevant thing is that you are here."

He began rubbing his chin and examining them. "Hmm. Three adult males, one adult female, and, oh, what is that?"

He grinned madly. "A female child? Wow, I must've pleased someone up there to give me that. I haven't had a child test subject in forever."

Frala sunk lower on Almono's back, instantly nervous. "Don't let that cweepy asshole near me!" she ordered hiding herself from him. For some reason, his gaze utterly terrified her.

Almono nodded. He perfectly understood why she was scared. Nephario had the look that he could see your inner self and all that you were made of. It was rather unsettling.

"So you're the guy who replaced his body parts?" asked Isran curiously. "That's pretty interesting."

"That was an older experiment" admitted Nephario. "You see, this technically isn't the body your priest fought."

He grabbed his robe and opened it, revealing a long scar running form the base of his neck all the way down to his hip. It looked fresh and still had the stitches in it.

"I replace my body frequently to test out experiments of varying natures. That one was a personal favorite of mine actually. This one is a little harder to manage. But I will show it to you before you die."

Zoh snarled. "I don't have time to deal with a clown like you. I have to kill Harkon."

The doctor laughed and completely shed his robe, revealing more scars on his arms and shoulders. "Well if you want to go, then just run past me. I really don't care how many of you I kill. I still get to experiment on your corpse one way or the other. So…"

He stopped when he realized that Zoh, Almono and Isran had run clean past him, leaving him with Sorine and Gunmar.

"Well they were boring anyway" defended the doctor shrugging. He reached to his back and pulled out two long daggers, settling them into two knuckles in his right hand. Then he raised his arm offensively.

"Come on folks. I don't have all day."

Gunmar drew his axe and grinned in anticipation. "This fight is going to kick ass!"

Sorine raised a crossbow. "I don't want to waste my time. I want to get to that Aistra bastard as soon as possible."

"Don't worry" said Nephario. "I won't keep you for long."


	41. Chapter 41

Zoh, Almono and Isran sprinted down the hall, trying their hardest to avoid a conflict. All three of them had a mission to kill Harkon. Well, two of them. Almono and his escort Frala were looking for any fight really. But since they wanted the best ones, they would wait till they find a good opponent.

"You think Sorine and Gunmar are going to be okay?" asked the Orc. "I trust Sorine's strength, but I think Gunmar may try to goof off."

"I'm more concerned he'll do something stupid like hurt Sorine" replied Isran. "But there's no need to worry. Two on one is perfectly balanced combat."

Almono nodded. "Now, who did he saw was further down this hall?"

"Dazen and Aistra" replied Zoh. "I would save Aistra for Sorine. But Dazen…"

He stopped and remained silent. "I will not fight him. My powers are utterly useless against his."

Almono smiled. "Then that means I would suck too. Hopefully, he's sleeping."

"Maybe we'll wun into that Geir guy?" asked Frala. "He looked kinda tough."

"For a kid" murmured the Dunmer. "I wish I stayed with the others to fight that Redguard guy. He looked like an utter powerhouse."

* * *

Namzar roared in anger and swung at his opponent.

Ollrod danced backwards and smiled.

"Punk!" yelled the Redguard enraged. "Quit grinning like a clown and take this fight seriously!"

"Maybe this is how I fight seriously?" joked the Nord raising his weapon-staff. "After all, you don't know anything about me."

"No one can keep such a shit-eating grin on during a fight!" roared Namzar. "At least put on an insane one like Nephario or a bloodthirsty one like Jawil. Your grin is annoying me!"

Ollrod laughed. "Ya scared of me or something? I haven't even gotten worked up yet!"

He spun his weapon-staff and lunged with the mace end. It connected with the Redguard's robe, but it deflected off as if it had hit rubber.

Namzar backhanded him and swung his mace.

"Idiot! I'm more durable than you could imagine. Your stupid little staff can't hurt me!"

Ollrod groaned. "Gods, are you one of them? Those assholes who tell me that my weapon can't hurt them? I've met so many of them that it bores me. And every single fucking one of them had the same attitude you do."

He leaped backwards and raised the axe end towards his opponent. "And every single one was surprised when I pulled tricks like this!"

The end of his axe opened and revealed a small hole. From that hole burst a torrent of fire that quickly engulfed the Redguard.

"Asshole!" he yelled throwing off his long flaming robe, revealing his underclothes. They were black mesh armor that covered all his areas except his head. Obviously that was how he was so durable.

"I bet that weights a ton" stated Ollrod spinning his weapon-staff. "No wonder you haven't moved so much during this fight."

"Well you figured it out insect. The reason I don't move is because that isn't how I fight. Why should I move when I got more than enough strength to crush anything around me?"

Ollrod shrugged. "Fairly logical."

He grinned. "I'm grateful you let my friends move on. Having an audience is so anti-climactic, and they had a mission to do anyway."

"No problem. Sharing the kills is a policy we have as members of Harkon's court. Besides, I only wanted one opponent at a time anyway."

Ollrod raised his weapon-staff. "So let's keep going. Find out if I have any more tricks and maybe you can show me yours."

"You're on."

* * *

Serana ran in front of the rest of the group, her dagger drawn. Obviously she was anticipating anything.

"I can smell the rest of your men. There's a shortcut up ahead" she warned climbing up some stairs.

They reached the top of the staircase and stopped. Isran, Zoh and Almono were running towards them at full speeds and weren't prepared to stop.

"Stop!" ordered Florentius, the only guy who they would listen to.

The three warriors skidded to a halt and glanced at them.

"How'd you get here so fast?" asked Isran.

"Shortcut" said Serana. "I'm the only one with directions into this place, so we need to stick together."

Zoh did a quick head count. "Is Ollrod still fighting Namzar?"

"Yes. And is Sorine and Gunmar fighting whoever took you all?" replied Florentius.

"Right" said Isran. "We need to get moving. Me, Zoh and Serana need to get to Harkon."

Serana pulled out a small piece of paper and held it up. "These are directions to the different rooms of Harkon's court. We need to kill them first."

She tapped one part of it. "We're very close to three rooms. Nephario, Aistra Raventar and Dazen."

"I will go and fight Dazen" said Florentius. "If you'll excuse me."

No one argued with him, so he walked off in the direction of the Vampire Lord.

"Nephario is currently being dealt with" explained Almono. "And judging by Sorine's comments, she wishes to fight Aistra herself."

Serana nodded. "Ok then, the next targets are Geir Osculates and Feran Sadri."

Isran thought about it. "Geir specializes in magic. Celann, go after him."

"Roger" stated the spellsword adjusting Blackwing. "Let's go!"

He sprinted down the hall, his sword already drawn.

"Who is Feran Sadri?" inquired Almono.

"Alchemist, also a lead expert in archery. If only we had Sorine to deal with him."

Beleval looked up. "Excuse me, but I can fight him just fine."

"Then go off. We can't waste any more time" stated Isran.

The Bosmer archer ran off and Serana checked the list of names. "OK, then the next objective is the rooms near Harkon. That's the rest of them pretty much. Yin'var and the current Aspect of Mystery."

"We'll rush them then" said Almono grinning. "I want either of them. I'll leave Harkon to the rest of you."

That left Almono and Frala, Zoh, Isran and Serana. Obviously they would have to make a stop before they fought Harkon to take on the last two enemies.

"Well let's get going team. We got enemies to kill!"


	42. Chapter 42

Celann sprinted down the hall, passing many objects lay on the walls and destroyed furniture. It looked like someone had a fight down here or something.

"Wonder what happened?" he murmured to himself.

He reached a balcony and looked around. In front of him was a large banquet like room, just like the foyer. Unlike the foyer, this place looked like a private room for a few people instead of actual banquets.

Someone was standing on the large dining table, holding another person in his fist.

The first person was definitely Geir Osculates, since he had the silver hair and black hood. Despite his thin build, he easily lifted the man in his grasp.

The man in his fist was none other than Aistra Raventar, who had a grin on his face, albeit a nervous one.

"I swear Geir, you got it all wrong!" pleaded the Aspect of Lust. "I meant nothing by what I was doing!"

"You were seeking entrance into Firthi's bathroom chambers without her knowledge to peep on her body. You truly sicken me."

"Well, I didn't mean for a peep" he urged. "I was hoping it would progress into a more significant and real relationship."

Geir gripped him even harder. "Revolting."

He tossed him away and Aistra smashed into a wall. Despite that injury, he didn't even seem dazed.

"Never come back here if you value your life" said the Aspect of Despair.

The Aspect of Lust grinned. "Fine then. I'll just leave. I need to get back to sleep anyway."

He walked off and Geir looked right at Celann. "So one of you guys managed to get past Namzar and Nephario. No surprises there. I had imagined such a thing would happen."

He sighed. "I don't really want to fight. Just keep moving to the rest of the palace. If you want, I'll gladly give you directions."

"Unfortunately, that's not my orders" stated Celann rubbing the back of his head. "But if you want to leave this place, I could just tell my leader I killed you."

Geir thought about it. "Why not? I needed a change in scenery anyway."

Someone smashed into his back, shutting off whatever else he was going to say.

"Geir you idiot! How could you be saying that! This guy is an enemy! Crush his guts right now!" yelled the person in a high-pitched voice.

The person was a teenage female with long black hair and the golden skin of an Altmer. She wore very proactive clothing that revealed a good chunk of her breasts and hips, complimented by the long sword she had at her hip.

"Damn it Firthi I don't want to!" he complained glaring at her. "Can't we just go somewhere else? It isn't like we owe Harkon anything."

"But you're just letting go again! You can't just be a quitter for the rest of your life!" she argued grabbing his arm and trying to tear it off. "So fight him already!"

Celann chuckled. "So the lady wants you to fight. How do you respond?"

Geir glowered and him and suddenly appeared in front of him in a flash of purple. Grabbing the Dawnguard's shirt, he threw him into the dining room.

Celann smashed into the table and groaned in pain.

The male vampire stood above him, pointing a rapier at him. "Never mention Firthi you swine."

The female grinned and went up to Celann. Grabbing the sides of his head, she straddled his chest and smiled down at him.

Celann was smiling rather dumbly at that point, mainly since he was getting a good view of her chest.

"_Heh, if I can get a view like this, I might lose on purpose"_ he thought cheekily.

"You hear that big boy? None of this juicy little meat's for you, ya hear that?"

"Firthi, you are in my way" stated Geir blankly. "Move."

She grunted and glared at him. "Not letting me have my fun. Seriously, this is probably the last good thing this low-life will ever see."

"And I must admit lady Firthi, it is a nice sight" said Celann grinning. "I'm not even sure I want to win anymore, if this is what I get from a simple beat down."

"I told you not to mention her!" yelled Geir grabbing his girlfriend and throwing her aside. Grabbing Celann's shirt, he raised his rapier to his neck.

"Die swine!" he roared enraged.

Something clipped into his arm, causing him to drop his sword.

He looked around and saw that the bird the spellsword was carrying was flying past him. It had a chunk of his sleeve in its mouth and was circling for another hit.

"Nice Blackwing!" yelled Celann. "Go for another!"

Geir scoffed. "Damn pets. Always getting in the way."

* * *

Florentius walked down the halls, hoping to get this nasty business over with. He knew a lot about the man named Dazen, but not enough to feel that confident. He was just grateful his fight would be over with quicker than the others.

He stopped as he reached the room and opened the door. Stepping inside, he noted that it actually had a fair amount of light in it.

The room of Dazen was filled with pools of clear water, which glowed with a strange blue light. They were all circular pools, but they all had the same water level. Nothing was disturbing them and the serenity of the water made the occupant of the room a little more chilling.

Dazen was sitting on the surface of the water, as if in meditation. His long black cloth was still wrapped around his frame, but now it was matched with light blue underclothes that gave him a little color variety.

He looked up and noted his visitor. "Ah, the priest Nephario mentioned" noted the Dunmer calmly. "It would seem that you chose me for your opponent."

"A wise decision" stated Florentius adjusting his white robe. "We both have similar attitudes."

"Calling us similar is a horrible idea" noted Dazen standing on the water. "Please refrain from doing so."

"If you wish vampire" stated the priest drawing his black metallic rod. "I will show you no mercy, for you were the one who kidnapped Kah gro-Malok from us. That is truly unforgivable."

"Kidnapping? How pathetic of you" muttered Dazen standing up. "If you get that angry over a kidnapping, you all are far too sensitive. You murdered two of my fellow men, and I am not even slightly angry."

"There's a difference" stated Florentius defensively. "Kah was like a member of our family. You vampires are bound together with fear and aggression, like a cult clan. I would've been surprised if you actually cared for your comrades."

Dazen sighed. "You assume so much. It's rather sad."

He tapped the surface of the water pool he was standing on, causing every pool around him to ripple as well from the exact same spot.

"I guess I have no choice but to show you" stated the vampire drawing forth a crossbow. Then he aimed it into the pool to his right and fired.

The bolt sailed into the water, but popped out from another pool to Florentius's left.

The priest dodged and stared in astonishment. Just in time to see Dazen stab into the water with his hand.

A fist appeared into the pool right behind him and kicked out his leg. He collapsed to his knees, but not before Dazen gripped his leg firmly.

Florentius felt icy fire burst through his leg and he groaned in pain. It was just like Zoh had described. It was impossible to resist thinking about it.

"Fool" said Dazen with his arm still in a pool of water. "This technique of mine makes me able to teleport anywhere were I have bounded to as long as it is covered in water. It is truly universal, since every location on earth has some water. All I need to do is bind myself to two spots. Even if we fought a thousand miles from here, I could still use this technique."

He smiled and made his grip tighter. "So let's end this."

Florentius returned the grin and slashed with his scepter.

Dazen retracted his hand and swore loudly.

"What? You resisted it?" asked the vampire unbelievingly. "That's not possible."

Florentius rolled up his sleeve, revealing a long series of lines in his arm. They were old wounds, but they had several layers of torn skin.

"Your ability relies on pain, so I made a constant source of pain to counteract it. Simple fix."

Dazen smiled and rubbed his bleeding arm. "Maybe this will be fun. Let's truly see which one of us is better prepared for this."

* * *

Gunmar spun his axe and just missed Nephario's skull. Retaliating with a punch, he bypassed the vampire's face by an inch.

The mad doctor leaped back and saw that Sorine had a crossbow ready to shoot at his face.

He twisted his head and the bolt missed him. Running towards her, he slashed with his sword into her chest.

Sorine gasped and stepped back. The sword hadn't penetrated her armor, but it had done a severe blow to her clothes.

She drew a dagger from her sleeve and slashed. The doctor took the cut without a flinch and grinned. Grabbing her hair, he smiled evilly at her.

"You're the bitch Aistra fucked up, huh? Well, you are pretty hot" said Nephario still bleeding. "I might do some special research on you."

She snarled and grabbed a second crossbow from her hip. Placing it into his chin, she yelled, "Back up creep!"

She fired the weapon, but something stopped the bolt from piercing his neck. It was like he was wearing a suit of armor over his clothes.

"That shot was too close" he explained grabbing her wrist. "It didn't have time to properly snap the string, so your bolt was exceptionally less powerful."

He gripped her wrist and heard it crack. "If you can't even use your own damn weapons right, then don't try to fight me!"

He threw her aside and turned to face his other opponent.

When Gunmar slammed his foot into the vampire's jaw, snapping his head to the side.

Nephario wiped the blood from his mouth and blocked the punch from the blacksmith. "Not bad for an unintelligent brute. But let me show you how I punch."

He swung and a second arm burst from his elbow joint. Unlike the animal protrusions from before, this was a regular arm.

"Double!" yelled the doctor connecting both fists into Gunmar.

The blacksmith flew back and landed on a pile of equipment. He stared at the vampire in horror, as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

Nephario held up his dual-limb. "This is a second experiment I was hoping to perfect before you all invaded. I merged my body with ten test subjects with similar structures as mine. Theoretically, I can replace any missing limb or organ instantly ten times. Or I can combine them, as shown here."

He allowed another arm to join the two on his left side, grinning as he did so. "It's truly remarkable."

Gunmar got up and smiled back at him. "You can replace it ten times eh?"

He raised his axe. "Then I'll just have to kill you ten times. No problem."

Nephario laughed. "Go ahead and try it. I'll let you get to maybe five before I get serious."

Sorine examined her wrist. It was broken, but a minor healing spell would repair it. But she still had to help in some way.

"Gunmar, catch!" she exclaimed pulling out a large satchel.

She tossed it to him and he slung it over his shoulder in one motion.

"What's in it?" he asked adjusting his stance. Obviously this damn thing was heavy since he actually had to adjust his feet.

"Cool stuff. Try to save them for a trump card though."

The blacksmith nodded. "Fine then. Let's see how long it takes until I want to pull one of these out."


	43. Chapter 43

Zoh, Serana, Isran and Almono ran through the halls of the castle, following the vampire's directions. Presumably, Harkon's room was inside the central location of the palace.

"His throne room is up ahead. He is usually there" stated Serana.

"Good. I want to nail the bastard in the head" murmured Isran.

Almono smiled. "And not a single sign of anyone else in our way. I might actually get to kill that son of a bitch."

Frala nodded. "Yay! This'll be fun!"

They stopped when they reached the hallway before the throne room. Someone was standing in front of the door, almost sitting in meditation. He wore a huge black cloak that draped entirely over him like a tent, covering his appearance.

Almono pointed his sword at him. "Yo, sage guy. We don't want to kill you, so back up before I get itchy."

"You're one to talk" stated the cloaked man looking up, revealing his face. It was immediately obvious that he was an Argonian with deep red scales. "You walk into our home, killing our men and tainting it with your vile stink, and you begin ordering me around? You Dawnguard truly deserve no pity."

The Dunmer grinned. "We got us a smart ass eh? Leave him to me Isran."

The Redguard nodded. "Make sure you get back."

Almono chuckled. "Like I wouldn't."

"I have been ordered to protect this door into Lord Harkon's chambers" stated the Argonian standing. "I am his most loyal servant, Yin'var, even though his appearance disgusts me. I aim to keep his interests intact, despite my own disagreements with him. You cannot get past me."

Almono threw off his shirt, revealing his muscled body. "Since I removed my covering, I hope you do the same."

Yin'var nodded. "Such a thing is only honorable. I assumed such from a typical warrior."

He shrugged off his black cloak, revealing a set of regal purple robes. He brandished a simple tanto, its edge razor sharp.

Almono roared and charged at the Argonian, his sword raised high.

Yin'var stepped back and parried the strike. Then he stopped when he felt a hand grasp his robe.

The Dunmer threw him over his head and he smashed into the wall opposite the door.

"Go!" ordered Almono. "I'll distract him!"

The rest of the Dawnguard nodded and sprinted into the room.

Almono turned to his opponent and grinned. "Come on. Don't disappoint my little one here. She needs to watch a good fight."

Frala sat in the corner of the room, brandishing a bag of pretzels. "Dis is gonna be fun!" she yelled munching on the salty snack.

* * *

Ollrod spun his weapon-staff and revealed a long chain from the mace end. It wrapped around Namzar's arm and restrained it completely.

The Redguard grunted and gripped the chain. Ripping it clean in half, he snarled at his opponent.

"That was pathetic!" he yelled.

"Yeah, it was" murmured Ollrod. "I should've guess that wouldn't work."

He raised the mace end of the staff and long spikes jutted around the sphere. "Wanna try it out now?"

"Bring it, bitch" ordered the vampire gesturing to him.

The Dawnguard swung and Namzar deflected the spikes. Raising his mace, he smashed it into Ollrod's chest.

The Nord flew backwards and collapsed to the ground. He felt a few ribs out of place and he didn't see so well.

"Damn. I should've let Almono get the first kill" murmured Ollrod regretfully. "He wouldn't be getting his ass kicked with such a heavy-weight guy."

The Nord stood and twirled his weapon-staff. "So you're a tough guy. This entire fight, I haven't been able to even injure you."

Namzar nodded. "You can't hurt me with such a feeble weapon. While it is impressive, the only thing in that staff is tricks. Nothing more than simple tricks."

"You're right" said Ollrod grinning. "The only thing in this staff is tricks."

He raised the axe head. "Thankfully, I got a few left."

From the top of the head burst a smoke screen, instantly covering the area around it. Namzar coughed and tried to dissipate the smoke.

Ollrod spun for the mace end to face him and released a torrent of nails into Namzar.

The vampire groaned in pain and backed up, several chunks of metal in his face. He slammed into a wall, trying to get his bearings.

Ollrod roared and swung the axe head.

The axe split his neck from his body, instantly killing the vampire. He collapsed to the floor, his valuable armor having done absolutely nothing.

The Nord grinned and put the staff back on his shoulder. "Nice fight bro. You really gave me a run for my money."

He popped a health potion and began walking further into the palace. "Well, I can tell Gunmar I got the first kill. That'll be fun to explain."

* * *

Beleval leaped off the table, firing an arrow in the process. She was currently in a fight with Feran Sadri in his personal greenhouse, which was fairly large. And when they said that he was an archer, they weren't lying. This guy could fire off magic into his arrows, forming devastating lightning bolts and icicles.

Feran stepped onto the table and adjusted his armor. It was a long set of iron armor that hugged his frame rather tightly on top of a red robe. He had an Ebony Bow that naturally was able to add his magic into the arrows he fired.

"Ronthil!" he yelled. "Arrows!"

A small Bosmer vampire hurriedly shuffled to his master's side and handed up a full quiver. "Here sire."

"Thank you" said the Dunmer bluntly. He slid it to his shoulder and notched his bow. As he did so, his arrow charged up with a blue light at the tip.

He fired and the magical arrow flew through the ar.

Beleval leaped back and the arrow narrowly missed her. It punctured through the table she was standing on and embedded itself in the stone.

Feran reloaded and she fired a shot in return. He calmly side-stepped it and fired another magical arrow.

"Face it Dawnguard! My arrows are far more powerful!" yelled the Dunmer. "You will never touch Lord Harkon with such pathetic skills!"

The Bosmer chuckled and sprinted up a wall. Grabbing onto a banister, she sat on top of the railing.

"I know" she said brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I just hope to kill you."

He grunted and loaded his bow. "Don't underestimate me bitch!"

He fired and the arrow narrowly missed her.

Beleval leaped and landed on top of the chandelier in his room. Pulling a small orb from her pouch, she let it drop to the floor.

Feran stared at it and swore. "Move!"

He leaped off the table and the ball hit the floor.

It exploded in a wave of green magicka and utterly destroyed the table.

Feran sighed and looked up at her. "Bombs? Rather odd equipment for a hunter."

"I figured it was fair, since you have a lackey" she explained dismissively.

The Dunmer grinned and raised his bow. "That suits me fine! I honestly don't care how even this fight is! I'll kill you and hang your body from my fireplace, so it doesn't matter how it ends up there!"

Beleval giggled. "You're cute when you yell."

"Shut up bitch!" snapped Feran firing his bow. Obviously his good humor ran out.

She leaped to the next banister and threw three bombs at him.

Feran swore and raised a protective Ward.

The bombs detonated.

Ronthil stood in front of his master, a large shield having absorbed the impact. He grunted and gripped it tighter.

"Please go Lord Feran" he pleaded. "I cannot hold this shield for very long."

Feran grabbed an arrow and put it to the assistant's throat.

Beleval stopped in wonder, as did Ronthil.

"What are you doing boy?" demanded the Dunmer.

"M-m-my deepest apologies Lord Feran" said the Bosmer assistant desperately. "She used three bombs. Even if you guarding the attack, I was certain you would get hurt."

He held up his right arm for evidence. It had a burn on it and several chunks of metal in it.

Feran grabbed him and threw him aside. His assistant smacked into a wall and lay there quietly.

"That's because of your insolence fool" stated the Vampire Lord. "Don't interrupt my fights, ever. Just remember, I am the strongest of Lord Harkon's court."

Ronthil nodded and wiped the blood from his face. "Please forgive me Lord Feran. I wait to serve you to make up for my stupidity."

Beleval whistled to get their attention and tapped the banister below her.

Feran glared up at her. "What do you want?"

She scoffed at him. "You honestly amaze me. Even if a subordinate gets in the way, you never rebuke them so harshly. You thank them for trying to help you and tell them how to improve. You truly are a sickening person Feran Sadri."

The Dunmer snarled and fired his bow.

The Bosmer huntress leaped off the railing and began running to cover.

"You don't know anything woman!" yelled Feran angrily. "How can you judge how we vampires treat each other, eh? We're completely different from you, and have different ideals and morals! So shut your fucking mouth when it comes to things you don't understand!"

He notched an arrow and this one charged insanely large, extending a foot past his bow and a little bit past his string.

"Die!" he ordered firing it.

The super-charged arrow flew through a pillar and connected with Beleval's shoulder. She sailed backwards and connected with the wall.

She groaned in pain and looked at it. It was like a giant had thrown a javelin in her shoulder. And the hole was far too big for a regular arrow.

She tugged it out and quickly drank a potion. Looking up, she saw Feran charging up another shot.

"Ha!" he yelled firing a second.

Beleval dodged and began running around the room, trying to formulate a plan.

**Apologies for the long waits between updates, but the next couple of weeks is exam sessions. I'm sure most of you know that kind of stress. Just please be patient of me.**


	44. Chapter 44

Nephario laughed ecstatically and slugged at Gunmar. The Dawnguard deflected the blow and smashed his axe into the vampire.

The mad doctor backed up and an arm burst from his shoulder joint, accompanying the two at the elbows.

"Come on!" he urged swinging all three of them.

The Nord grunted and leaped backwards. Gripping his axe, he raised it high and swung.

The axe head split into the doctor's chest and ruptured several important squishy things in his chest.

Nephario grinned, his mouth bloody from all the ruptured blood vessels. "That's one heart."

He revealed the hole in chest was regenerating, a new heart already forming itself in the cavity.

"Just nine more to go" taunted the vampire giggling.

Gunmar swore. This would take forever if he had to kill him nine times over. He might as well be fighting nine guys at once.

Nephario sprinted at him and raised his fist. From the top of his arm burst a foot, completely clad in his boots.

The Dawnguard took it in the face and rolled from the impact. He righted himself and drew some throwing knives. Tossing them in a wide spray, he caught the mad doctor in the chest and head.

Nephario grabbed the knife in his face and licked the blade.

"Cool knife" he complimented. Then he swallowed it and licked his lips.

Gunmar rolled to the side and Nephario spat the knife out even faster than it had been thrown.

"Nice instincts" said the doctor chuckling. "Most people wouldn't guess that I would do that."

The Nord drew a combat knife from his belt and ran over to the vampire. Swinging, he managed to get past the multitude of arms in his way and slash across Nephario's neck.

The vampire exploded in laughter and something new burst from the fleshy wound. A second head poked out from the cut and the original plopped to the ground like a discarded fruit skin.

"I did say ten of everything" reminded Nephario grinning. "That includes my heads."

Just to prove that, another head came from the back of his neck, eventually stopping to be able to look behind him.

"You can't beat me Dawnguard" taunted the original head.

"It's completely incomprehensible" said the second head.

Gunmar grunted and smiled.

Nephario stopped, astonished by the reaction.

The Dawnguard stood and shook off the blood on his face. "I'm sorry for laughing. I'm just saying, if you really have ten hearts, then I got one. Not to mention you wasted three of your heads already. If you keep up the charade, maybe I don't even need to kill you. You'll just do it yourself."

The doctor snarled in rage.

"What are you talking about idiot!?" exclaimed Nephario swinging at him. "There's no way I'll lose to an imperfect shithead like you!"

Gunmar ducked and gave a swift uppercut with his knife. It slashed through two of Nephario's arm and caused him to cry out in pain.

"Bastard!" cried the doctor backing up. He took a knee and something in his back shifted.

"I won't lose you! Never! I am a perfect abomination of utter power!"

A completely separate torso burst from his back, taking his second head with it. Two arms grew with it and stretched at their new found freedom.

When it was done, they looked like Siamese twins connected by the waist.

They both smiled at him and Nephario taunted, "Come on then! How can you deal with two opponents who move in unison?! Huh!? Show me!"

Gunmar smiled and ran at them, swinging both of his weapons, they began to spin.

The Dawnguard was slugged in the jaw and quickly began to get hammered with blows. It really was like fighting two guys at once. He didn't stand a chance with these tactics.

He glanced at the pack on his hip and got an idea.

He punched one of the heads and it bounced into the other one, doing a painful skull tap.

Gunmar backed up and slid his hand into the pack. Feeling a cold smooth surface, he correctly assumed it was some type of bomb.

He pulled it from the pack and threw it at Nephario.

The bomb shattered as it touched them and released a green liquid of sorts.

The doctor screamed in agony as his clothes and skin were dissolving on him. He looked over at Sorine, who was still recovering on the wall.

"What is this stuff?!" he demanded trying to scrape it off.

Sorine smiled weakly. "Acid. I was planning to use them against Aistra, but you're worth at least one. "

Nephario stretched out one of his arms and a second arm began to grow from it. Unlike the others, it was like he was generating the entire body. As it turned out, that was exactly what he was doing, since a third body appeared at the end of the arm.

The newest clean Nephario stepped from the dissolving bodies of his predecessors and grinned at the Dawnguard.

"Great strategy" he complimented adjusting his jacket. "A real solid idea, but…"

He stopped and looked at his hand. It was dissolving slowly with a pile of green liquid in the center.

"What!? How!?" he cried trying to scrape it off his hand.

Sorine chuckled. "It's not designed to come off. It's an eternal acid that binds itself to your inner membranes. You said it yourself, you have ten hearts. The acid leaked into your bloodstream already. You should feel it any second."

Nephario looked down and suddenly felt like his entire chest was on fire. He screamed in agony and scraped at his chest, trying to figure out how to overcome this problem.

"I cannot die! This is impossible!" cried the doctor. "I am perfect! Such a thing is beyond comprehension!"

He sank to his knees and his chest began to dissolve from the inside, forming a large hole straight through it. Oddly, there was no blood. Just some odd purple matter leaking from his veins.

"Damn it" he murmured quietly. "I wasn't supposed to go out like this."

A large black blade sailed through the air and smashed into his neck. The doctor gave a small feeble cry before he collapsed to the ground.

Someone walked in and grabbed the sword from the fallen Nephario, grinning down at him evilly.

"Does that suit you, doctor?" asked Aistra maliciously.

* * *

Celann sat on top of the fireplace, breathing heavily. He had Blackwing on his shoulder and was recovering from a severe injury on his arm.

Geir Osculates sat on the table, his rapier resting in his lap. He was having Firthi heal his wounds on his chest and sternum.

"Not a bad blow Dawnguard" complimented the male vampire dryly. "Your bird is very good at hitting me."

His girlfriend smacked him. "Stop complimenting the enemy! It makes you look like a weakling!"

"I am a weakling" protested Geri but she hit him again.

"No you are not! Stop undermining yourself! You got this guy on the ropes!"

"I will admit, I am getting tired" said Celann leaning on the bricks. "Why don't we call it a draw, eh? Maybe eat some dinner while we're at it? I got a killer recipe for some beef."

Geir thought about it. "I'll take you up on that offer."

Firthi glared at him. "No you will not! This guy is an intruder! It goes against every rule in the book to keep him alive!"

"Oh, right, the book. The same book Nephario, Aistra, Namzar, Yin'var, and Jawil frequently broke?"

She smacked him right in a wound and he grunted.

"Yes that rulebook!" she yelled getting rather livid. "You are an example to them of a perfect assassin! You obey your orders and get stuff done!"

He sighed. "I guess."

She nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "Please kill him. For me."

She gave him a puppy-dog look and he groaned. "Gods damn me."

He stood and raised his rapier. "Sorry man, but the lady wants you dead."

Celann shrugged and looked at his healed arm. "Suits me fine. I haven't had a good fight in so long, I actually was hoping you declined my offers."

He stood and raised his sword. Blackwing instantly left his shoulder and flew around the room, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

"Bring it on, Geir Osculates" said the Dawnguard.

* * *

Florentius sprinted around the room, dodging multiple projectiles coming from every direction and firing with his own.

Dazen raised his left hand and a pillar of fire shot from it. Aiming it at the nearest pool of water, it disappeared as soon as it entered it.

The priest rolled and neatly dodged it. Raising a spell, he fired it into the same pool the fire came from.

The vampire moved slightly and the bolt of sunlight passed by him. "Impressive. You have figured out how my ability works. The pools do work on multiple levels. I can use them to teleport my attacks, but so can my opponents. Most don't figure that out, but I am impressed that you have."

He bowed slightly. "I am honored to fight such a great opponent, priest of Arkay."

Florentius gave a bow. "And I am honored to fight a powerful vampire such as you, Aspect of Stillness."

They both stood and prepared various spells.

"Let us continue this battle" urged Dazen.

"Gladly" replied the priest.

The vampire fired two bolts of fire and Florentius spun to dodge them. Running around the room again, he fired off multiple spells into various pools, hoping he was getting them right.

The bolts of light harmlessly flew around the room in various directions, seemingly coming from random.

Dazen threw out another pillar of fire and took a step forward. "Do not think of me so little, priest of Arkay. I know that you are determining how each pool affects the others by firing off so many spells. A good strategy, except I can move too!"

He leaped to the side and landed on a clear section of floor.

Florentius grinned and jumped into a pool.

The vampire stared in wonder and the priest appeared behind him, his leg already extended for a flying kick.

Dazen deflected the blow and the priest rolled into another pool.

"Impressive. A priest normally never engages in close combat. You truly are a surprising opponent."

"I never said I was a real priest" countered Florentius appearing to the side. "After all, I am a vampire hunter. Most priests choose peacefulness, but I didn't. Think about that next time you try to assume anything about me."

Dazen grunted. "Hmm. Understood."

Then he stepped into a pool and disappeared.

Florentius leaped back, but not before an arm gripped his own arm, causing him to cry out.

The priest landed and looked at his arm. It looked as if a magical rune was etched into it and it felt like it was made of stone. He could barely move it.

"A second ability of my touch" said the vampire adjusting his cloth robe. "I can seal the body parts of a person I touch. Your arm should be utterly useless by now. Think of it like your arm has no blood or muscles in it."

Florentius grinned. "That's quite an ability. No wonder they sent you to get Kah gro-Malok. If you were fighting a warrior, they would never be able to fight you."

The priest gripped his dead arm and sighed. "Sadly, I am not a warrior, so that ability has limited usage. But I do appreciate you taking my arm. It frees me up to use something special."

Magical symbols etched themselves into his dead arm, glowing bright yellow and cracking the skin.

Dazen stared at the arm in wonder and Florentius leaned forward, a mad gleam in his eyes.

"Arkay, Lord of Death and Life! I offer to thee a catalyst to release thy spirit onto this earth!" yelled the priest gripping his dead arm tighter. "Use this flesh and bone, and BURN IT ALL AWAY!"

He ripped off his arm violently, spewing blood all over him. His arm was glowing almost completely, hundreds of lines growing from it. Then he threw it.

The arm sailed through the air and exploded.

A wave of pure sunlight burst from the arm and enveloped the entire room, filling every corner with light. Not a single centimeter was spared from the merciless onslaught. The pools of water instantly dried up and the concrete caked and cracked.

As soon as it dissipated, Florentius collapsed to his knees. He was in incredible pain, not only from severing his arm but the explosion as well. His clothes were dry as leaves and stiff as boards.

He began healing his arm, hoping to at least seal the wound before he could get a new one back at the fort.

"Very impressive" said a voice from behind.

Florentius turned in shock. He knew it wasn't possible that…

Dazen stood, his clothes completely ruined. His robe was burnt to cinders and pooled at his feet. He was left only with a set of grey shorts that looked rather torn. Despite this, he only had a few burns on his body.

The vampire brushed some ash from his skin, doing so with an inhuman calm. "Sacrificing your arm to your god is quite a risky move. I can only imagine how much faith you have for it to actually have worked. But I am afraid that unless you wish to throw a leg or your other arm in, then that won't be enough."

He looked at the priest. "Do not mistake me. I am injured."

He tiled his head, revealing a large hole had burnt itself through his cheek and revealing his teeth.

"You have destroyed my pools of water and gotten rid of the water within fifty meters" said Dazen analytically. "My teleporting abilities are no longer available to me. But it is also no longer available to you."

He raised his arm and prepared a spell. "To be fair, I shall only use one of my hands at a time. But that is all that I will be fair with."

Florentius stood, the stump of his arm having been sealed. He prepared a spell in his only hand and grinned.

"Come on then. I don't have all day" taunted the priest mentally preparing himself for the struggle ahead.

* * *

Zoh, Serana and Isran ran into Harkon's throne room, looking around for him.

It was a very regal throne room, with a huge fountain in the center made of iron. It was overflowing with blood, with a pool underneath it full of the stuff.

"Gods that's disgusting" murmured the Redguard.

Serana licked her lips but said nothing.

The Orc looked around, his brother's axe in hand. He had a mind to use this to bring the next guy down, whoever that would be.

"Ah, my unwelcome guests" said a voice.

They all looked around, trying to figure out the source.

"I am impressed that you killed so many of my men already. If I can guess correctly, I would think that you can kill them all."

The voice of Harkon laughed. "But you've hit a wall. There is nothing but death ahead of you."

"Where are you!?" demanded Isran.

"So brash and uncultured. I am not in that room."

They all stopped, stunned by the revelation. It sounded like he was a booming announcer and somehow he wasn't there at all.

"I am on the roof, preparing a little ritual to help me" said the Master Vampire Lord calmly. "While I do not have Auriel's Bow, there is one step I can fulfill."

Serana swore. "The Elder Scrolls."

Zoh and Isran turned. "What?"

"The Elder Scroll is designed to begin the ritual to blot out the sun" explained Serana. "When the incantation is read, the bow of Auriel must be fired within an hour or it will have to be done again in a full day."

The Redguard snarled. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know he had the Elder Scroll!" she protested. "It was supposed to be buried!"

"Well I dug it up" taunted Harkon chuckling. "Now, I would hate to just leave you there, all alone. So I'll have a personal friend deal with you."

He cleared his throat. "I leave that job to you…Fog."

From the pool of blood burst a humanoid of fairly short stature. He wore a long black robe and had a grey mask over his face with whirling patterns of paint all over it. In his hands were two daggers of Daedric design and shape.

"Yes sir" said the humanoid calmly.

Serana gasped. "Are you…Agapetus?"

Fog shook his head. "No fair lady. That man left us a long time ago. I am his replacement, Fog, Aspect of Mystery."

Zoh grunted. "I don't have time for niceties. Just tell me how to get to Harkon."

"There is a door to your right" said the Aspect of Mystery blankly.

The Orc turned, but Fog chuckled. "By the way, do you really want to leave?"

Zoh whirled around. "What do you mean?"

The male vampire resumed his blank tone. "Well, what if I told you that I was the one who made your brother Kah into a vampire?"

He raised his arm and blocked the furious strike of the younger Orc.

"I knew my brother didn't go with the idea willingly!" exclaimed Zoh utterly enraged.

"Funny. You had doubts about that. He didn't do his job in convincing you" noted Fog calmly.

The Orc leaped back and drew his sword.

"KREIN MIIN NOROK!" roared Zoh raising his blade.

It glowed white and Fog spun his daggers.

"Let us see if we really got the stronger brother before me" he urged waiting for the Orc to attack.


	45. Chapter 45

Beleval leaped at Feran and slashed with her hunting knife. He deflected her blow with an arrow and stepped back. She began a rapid series of slashes, moving rather flowingly like a dance.

He charged up the arrow and aimed it at her chest.

"HA!" he yelled releasing the magic into a huge sword.

She flipped backwards and notched her bow rapidly.

"Ha" she murmured firing the bow.

He took the wound in his shoulder and grunted. Ripping it out viciously, he licked his lips.

"Gods that was a good blow" he complimented. "It's been so long since anyone really injured me."

He licked the arrow and then snapped it in half and swallowed the head. "I got bored really. Can you imagine not getting hurt for years? It got really boring."

Beleval shook her head. "I despise getting hurt. It makes me feel weak and powerless."

"Exactly!" exclaimed the vampire. He laughed manically. "That feeling of being weak fills me with such ecstasy! It really brings out the adrenaline and makes me beg to fight and survive! I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything else in the world!"

"Then perhaps I'll bring it out of you again" said the Bosmer notching her bow. "Just make sure you don't get so caught up in it."

"Gladly!" cried Feran raising his bow. "Allow me to return the favor!"

He fired his magical arrow and she neatly dodged it. Firing, she barely missed him.

"You'll have to do better than that huntress!"

She nodded and grabbed one of her bombs. Slipping them onto the tip of her arrow, she fired it.

The explosive arrow exploded violently and knocked Feran off the table. He landed in a smoking heap. Despite this, he was laughing.

"That was awesome!" he yelled getting up unsteadily. "My entire body is rocking! I can barely stand straight! My eyes are blurry and I feel a wound in my leg!"

He arched his back and whooped in joy. "Thank you huntress! Now let me finally repay you for your kindness!"

He gripped an arrow and charged it with magic. It formed into a long sword and he sprinted forward, grinning madly.

She dodged, but he didn't even stop. He swung and slashed across her stomach. She gasped and he began a rapid set of jabs into her chest, poking several blood vessels and causing blood to geyser.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" screamed Feran swinging his arrow/sword. "Feel the desperate struggle to survive! Embrace it!"

She collapsed backwards and he looked down at her. His grin left his face as he noticed her condition.

"Ugh, are you done already?" he asked bored. "Please get back up. I need an interesting fight. Don't die already."

She didn't get back up, so he sighed melodramatically. "Damn it. Just when you were getting interesting."

He turned to his apprentice Ronthil. "Finish her off. I despise scum like her."

The Bosmer vampire nodded and walked over to the huntress. Drawing his sword, he raised it high.

"As you order my lord" he said before he stabbed downward.

A huge staff stopped the descent of his blade and didn't waver.

"Beleval? You look like shit" said a voice who was wielding the staff.

She looked up and saw that Ollrod was standing over her, his weapon-staff in his hands.

She chuckled bitterly. "You came here to save me handsome?"

He deflected the junior vampire's blade without effort. "Don't assume so much. I just wanted a good fight and I saw how badly you were doing against these clowns."

Ronthil looked at him without fear. "Who are you? Why are you standing over this woman?"

Ollrod said nothing and looked at him blankly.

"No response?" growled the Bosmer vampire. He raised his sword. "Then perish!"

Feran's eyes widened as he figured out who the new man was.

"You fucking idiot!" he yelled at his apprentice. "Run Ronthil!"

Ollrod simply back-handed him with his weapon-staff, cutting into his chest with the axe.

"L-Lord F-Feran" he murmured before his upper body slid to the floor, having separated from his lower.

Feran narrowed his eyes in annoyance and raised his bow. He charged up a magical arrow and fired.

Ollrod smacked the arrow away with his mace-end and glared at him. "You hurt the lady like this, didn't you?"

"What was your first clue genius?" asked the Aspect of Zeal lividly.

"Calm yourself. I was just asking a question."

"Well it was a pretty damn stupid one!" yelled Feran drawing an arrow and making a sword. "Like that kid you just killed could've done that to her! Only a great guy like me could do that much!"

Ollrod grunted. "You really are an asshole. I'll enjoy killing you."

Feran laughed. "I'll take you up on that! Hit me just once! I want you to!"

* * *

Celann rolled off the ledge, smashing himself down onto the dining table. Spinning his sword, he deflected the next blow from Geir.

The vampire snarled and began slashing at him.

"Just die you asshole! I want to go to bed!" yelled Geir annoyed.

"I could say the same to you!" replied Celann.

They flew backwards and the vampire wiped his brow.

"Ugh, I'm working up a sweat. I'll have to shower tonight."

"Well you'll at least have company" commented Celann looking over at Firthi.

Geir looked down. "Yeah, I guess."

The Breton looked at him curiously. "Huh? I missing something? You two are lovers right? You talk like it."

"Lovers?" repeated the vampire. "I guess that's a way to look at it."

He raised his sword. "Irrelevant. Let's continue trying to kill each other."

"Whatever dude" replied the Dawnguard.

As they fought, the same words kept repeating in Geir's head.

"_Lovers? That does sound a lot like what we are"_ he thought deflecting and stabbing at his mortal opponent. _"We have become one flesh before, and have shared every secret with each other. But does that mean love is involved? I'm not sure what we would be called."_

* * *

Almono slashed at his opponent and began a wild flurry of attacks, doing so with an insane speed.

Yin'var dodged smoothly and slashed with his claws, dealing a crippling uppercut into the Dawnguard's chest.

The Dunmer stepped back and swung, nearly chopping off the Argonian's head.

The lizard vampire backed up and sighed. "Gods I hate people like you. Come to think of it, I hate people in general. You can all fucking die for all I care."

"Rather simple view of the world. I like it" said Almono smiling. "Don't separate the world into people you like and people you don't. Just make one broad decision about it. Nice idea."

"And you? What are your opinions on people?"

"There are two things in this world: People and targets" explained the Dunmer stroking his sword. "People are boring backdrops that I talk to on occasions. Targets are things that I kill because they entertain me. That's my view on the world."

"If that's the case, then you are my target. Everyone is. I want everyone to just die so they'll finally leave me alone."

"Heh, now you're just depressing me" admitted the Dawnguard. "If you really hate me then fight me!"

The Aspect of Hatred spun and black shadows appeared from his robes, covering his frame and wrapping tight. His eyes glowed a deep crimson and his claws extended into knife-like protrusions.

"Gladly. Behold true hate" he said stretching his new claws.

Almono grinned. "Now that's better."

Dazen deflected Florentius's punch and retaliated with an elbow swipe. Gripping his collar, he threw him aside.

The priest rolled and quickly got back up. Running at him, he got smacked down just as easily.

"This is supposed to be an even fight" said the vampire begrudgingly. "Are you holding back just because you lost an arm?"

Florentius stood and gave a grin. Dazen stopped astonished and the priest raised his scepter.

"Thanks for moving into place" said the Breton tapping the rod into the ground.

A pentagram of light burst around the vampire and he scowled. "Bastard."

The symbol of light condensed itself with Dazen in the center.

Florentius stood, his only arm still glowing with magicka. "Your durability is quite impressive. You are by far the most difficult vampire I have ever tried to kill. Even your skin is resistant to sunlight."

The light dissipated and Dazen stood, a few more holes in his skin. "You are also impressive my foe. To believe you caused so much damage to me with only spells."

He stretched his arm, which was almost burnt to cinders. "If you can, show me your real power so that I can show mine."

Florentius wiped the sweat off his brow and unclasped the necklace of Arkay around his throat.

"Gladly" he said confidently.

Then he crushed the medallion in his fist.

Magicka flooded across his body made his skin glow a pale yellow.

Suddenly bone erupted from his stump, growing fingers and ligaments. Just as quickly it was covered in muscles and skin, reforming into the arm he had once had.

Florentius stretched his newest limb and smiled. "I was grateful that would work."

The magicka swirled around him and his scepter grew into a large sword similar to a cross. He raised it high.

"Show me your true power Vampire Lord" commanded the priest gripping his newest sword.

Dazen nodded and raised a fist.

"Rot away" he murmured to himself.

His arm instantly disintegrated, revealing the bones underneath it. His skin grew like ash, dissolving into the wind. It did the same thing to his neck and leg, causing him to appear smoking.

"I represent the Stillness of death and the slow aging. Just as I rot, everything shall rot in time."

"A sad ideology, but not so different from my own" said Florentius. "I worship Lord Arkay, lord of the afterlife. In my heart I know that death is not ultimate end. That is why I do not fear you vampire."

Dazen nodded and reached into his chest, which crumbled away. Drawing forth a bone, he extracted a long, thin blade made of his own bone. It was aged, but looked incredibly dangerous.

"That is good priest. For you cannot beat me with fear in your heart."

He raised the bone sword. "So please. Show me your true courage."

* * *

Aistra grinned at his recent audience, his black blade slick with his ally's blood. "How ya'll doing? Glad I saved your asses from Nephario, huh? He really was a pain in the ass."

He kicked the mad doctor's body. "Such a pathetic little idiot. I'll miss him."

Sorine stood, a hand over her recently healed wound.

"I'm going to kill you" she growled under her breath.

The Aspect of Lust laughed. "Please my dear, do we have to fight? The three of us could go to my quarters and have a little private fun."

"No thanks" said Gunmar raising his axe. He lifted up one of the bombs. "Sorine said these would kill you."

Then he tossed it at the vampire with a mighty roar.

Aistra calmly sidestepped and the bomb exploded uselessly next to him.

"Really? You thought I'd stand still and let you hit me with your little bomb?"

He stopped when he saw that Sorine was pressing her crossbow into his chest.

"Game over" she muttered firing it.

The bolt sank into his chest and stopped, just resting in his skin. Then it shifted downwards as if it was melting off.

He grinned. "Remember this?"

Black liquid burst from his mouth and quickly ran across to Sorine, flowing into her skin and face.

She swore and tried to peel it off, but in doing so spread it to her arms.

The original Aistra dissolved in a puddle and Sorine grew completely covered in the slime. She snapped her head to look at Gunmar and revealed that she had his eyes.

"Hello" she said grinning.

"Shit" murmured the blacksmith. "Sorine, if you can hear me, resist!"

The woman stopped and clasped at her head, but quickly recovered.

"Sorry boy, but I'm in the driver's seat" said Aistra in Sorine's body. "As long as this black gunk is inside her, I can rule this body. It's a great way to get some new blood, and I'll slowly shift back to me eventually."

Gunmar groaned. "Gods why did I know this would happen? Shit like this always happens to me."

He raised his axe. "I guess I'll punch you so that the gunk will come out of her."

"A nice theory" said Aistra cracking his/her neck. "Let's go big boy."


	46. Chapter 46

Almono blocked the swipe to his head and lashed out with his arm. Grabbing the Argonian by the shirt, he threw him into a pillar.

Yin'var bounced and got hit directly in the shoulder, pinning him to the pillar behind him.

He slashed upwards and clipped the Dunmer in the face. Despite this blow, the Elf simply raised a fist and slugged him in the head.

"Bastard" murmured the lizard.

Almono gripped his sword and twisted it, causing the Argonian to grit in pain.

"That's enough" spat Yin'var glaring at him.

Something burst from the shadow next to him and sliced across the Dunmer's face.

Almono leaped back with his sword free and suddenly a huge porcupine assembly of points jutted out from the shadow.

He spun his sword and they instantly shrank back.

The Dunmer stared in wonder at the sight. The Argonian had a bunch of spikes coming out from the surfaces around him, like spears.

Yin'var walked forward, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder. "I specialize in shadows. I can manipulate them to do as I please."

Just to demonstrate, his shadow flew forward on the floor, moving like a water puddle.

Almono leaped backwards and sprinted around it. Raising his sword, he swung.

A dozen spikes rose from around Yin'var and blocked the blow. Then they expanded outwards like a porcupine, causing him to fly backwards.

The Dunmer snarled. "Damn it. I can't get to him with just my sword."

He sighed. "I'll have to do it."

He lifted up his left arm and suddenly a bolt of magicka floated on his palm.

The Argonian stopped. "You can use spells?"

"Ice Spear" muttered Almono under his breath.

A solid icicle burst from his hand and flew at Yin'var.

The lizard swore and raised up a wall of shadow. Only then did he see something brush up to the side of him.

Almono pushed his left arm into the Argonian's back and arched him upwards, bending his spine rather oddly.

"Ice Spear."

The magical projectile punched clean through his chest and impaled itself into the ceiling, splashing blood over the two of them.

Yin'var collapsed to his knees and Almono stood tall.

The Dunmer put his sword on his shoulder. "What a shame."

The lizard grabbed him by the wrist and the Elf stopped in awe.

"You…think I'm done Elf?" spat Yin'var. He looked up and his eyes were brimming with hate.

"I WILL DROWN YOUR BONES IN SHADOW!"

The shadow all around him shot upwards, piercing Almono in dozens of places. He gasped and collapsed, bleeding from so many parts of his body.

Frala gasped and ran over to her protector. "Almy!" she screamed in horror.

Yin'var stood and looked down at his opponent.

"Pathetic" he muttered.

The small Nord child sank to her knees beside her fallen guardian and grabbed him.

"No! Almy, get up!" begged Frala desperately. She began to sob.

"Please get up Almy! I can't go on without you!"

Yin'var snarled at her. "He's dead kid. So get over it. I stabbed him too many times. He isn't getting back up."

Frala grabbed a necklace on her throat and knelt closer to her guardian. The necklace was a simple gold coin split in half. It had what appeared to be an ancient Elf symbol on it.

"What are you..?" began the Argonian cautiously.

"For the defense of the helpless, a selfless guardian shall rise" whispered Frala grabbing a similar necklace on Almono's throat. Pressing the medallion on hers into his, she waited.

The Dunmer opened his eyes wide and breathed deeply. He sat up, pushing his charge off him, but also getting closer to getting back up.

"What?! That's not possible!" yelled Yin'var. "I killed you! Your heart stopped! How are you possibly up!?"

Almono grabbed his sword and stood, all the wounds on his chest sealing themselves up.

"You shall not harm this child!" shouted the Dunmer passionately. "I, her guardian, will kill you before you lay so much as a hand on her!"

The Argonian growled. "Well bring it then! Show me what you can do!"

He stretched out his hand and a single point of shadow rose up. It stretched to nearly seven feet before he gripped it and snapped it. Spinning the point in his hands, he revealed that it was a long simple spear sharpened at both ends.

They charged at each other, both of them yelling. Then they swung.

Almono stood behind his opponent, his back turned to him. Then he felt the cut.

His shoulder cut open all the way to his waist and he coughed. Smashing his sword into the ground, he remained upright.

Yin'var walked forward, stumbling slightly. Only then did he feel the slash running into his rib cage in an almost perfect line.

He collapsed and breathed in a sigh.

"Asshole…I refuse…to accept this" he grunted before smacking the floor.

Almono stood uneasily and knelt down to Frala's level.

"You alright?" he asked concerned.

Frala let a few tears slip before she began to sob and hugged his chest.

"I waz so wowwied about you Almy! You neally died back dere! I couldn't imagine wiving without you!"

The Dunmer chuckled and hugged her gently. "It's alright. I'm fine, thanks to you."

The child looked up at him and he gave a grin. "Now, could you heal my wounds? I can't assist the others if I'm this torn up."

She nodded energetically. "Yes sir!"

* * *

Gunmar swung his fist and just breezed past the possessed Sorine. She chuckled and lashed out with her knife.

He grunted and grasped the wound. He wasn't doing so well. Aistra's possession of her made it very difficult to fight. He needed to kill him, but he also couldn't injure her. He had to find a way to get him out.

Sorine looked at her hand, which was slowly getting colored white. "The transformation is working very well. Pretty soon I shall emerge from this cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly."

"Then I'll sever you right now!" yelled the blacksmith swinging his fist.

The possessed woman blocked and smacked him away. Then she got a sinister grin.

"Hey Gunmar? I found some juicy memories in here. Who would've thought she thought of you like this?"

Gunmar stopped. "What do you mean?"

Sorine licked her lips. "My oh my. This woman's got really steamy feelings to you. It's pretty touching. Oh, except one of them. It's just downright dirty. Mmm, I might keep that one to cheer myself up later on."

The blacksmith smiled. "Thanks for that."

He cracked his knuckles. "Now that I know she likes me, that'll just motivate me more to beat you!"

"Oh? That had a different effect than I imagined" murmured Sorine. "Well, then please try."

Gunmar sprinted forward, roaring loudly.

The alchemist didn't dodge, instead waiting for him to hit somewhere.

What she didn't expect was for Gunmar to slid under her and pop up behind her.

"What the..?" she began before the blacksmith smashed both of his palms right into her sternum.

Sorine vomited violently and the black gunk flew out of her mouth.

She collapsed to her knees and began to purge her body of the filth, causing it to run from her mouth. With a mighty gasp, she got all of it out of her system.

The black pool of gunk slithered off and Aistra rose from it in his old body.

"My oh my. That's quite interesting" said the Aspect of Lust. "I never would've imagined you being able to figure out the weakness to the technique."

"I'm smarter then I look" said Gunmar raising his axe. "So how about you show me something else? If that move really is your trump card, then you probably can't use it too often. Right?"

Aistra burst into laughter. "Well, someone did their homework! But I'm afraid there's something you left out of this equation."

Gunmar stopped. "What?'

Then he felt something smash into his head and he collapsed.

Sorine stood over her partner, a large crossbow in her hands. She looked down at him emotionlessly, like she had crushed a fly.

"My technique permanently installs a seed of my subconscious into its victims" explained Aistra. "It is quite useful, since all I have to do is get a drop in them and their like my own little puppets."

He giggled. "Isn't that right Sorine?"

"Yes Master Raventar" she said in a robotic voice.

"Oh, Master? Tiger growl" said the Aspect of Lust covering his mouth. "Well, I think I'll keep you. I could use another toy in my collection."

He turned to go. "Follow me."

"Yes Master."

Sorine began to follow him, then rapidly stabbed him in the chest with a crossbow bolt, puncturing his spine.

Aistra gasped and looked behind him. "What?! How did you..?"

"I took a sample of your liquid and made a vaccine" she said grinning. "I wasn't sure it would work, so I used it only on myself. Obviously it did."

He pushed the bolt further and the vampire groaned in pain.

She giggled and began to nibble on his ear. "I must admit Aistra, you really nailed me when we met back at the Fort."

She pushed the bolt further and blood spat from his mouth.

"I guess this is my way of doing the same to you" said Sorine grinning. "After all, you deserve a thank you for what you did."

"Bitch" spat Aistra.

She shoved it completely through and it came out through his ribs. Then she pushed him off and let him sink to the floor.

"Sorry. I don't listen to the people I nail" she murmured walking away from his corpse.

* * *

Ollrod spun his weapon-staff and connected with his opponent's sword. Leaping back, he lunged with the mace end.

Feran Sadri dodged and slashed into the Nord's chest. Spinning his blade, he attempted a powerful stab.

The Nord deflected it and twisted a section of his weapon-staff.

Suddenly both ends came apart, giving him a mace in one hand and an axe in another. Spinning, he made a rapid series of slashes and swipes at his opponent.

The Dunmer laughed and blocked them all, moving delicately across the floor. Twirling an arrow from his quiver, he threw it like a knife.

Ollrod dodged and threw the axe.

It flew over his opponent's head and Feran laughed.

"Was that supposed to hit?" he joked.

"Sorta" replied Ollrod.

The Aspect of Zeal stopped and a chain shot out from the end of the axe. It sailed into the air and the Nord grabbed it.

Connecting the chain with the mace end, he pulled the axe out of the wall and began spinning it, using the mace as the pivotal point.

Feran backed up and threw another arrow. This one actually got through the whirling chain and hit Ollrod in the shoulder.

Feran blocked the furious strike of Ollrod and backed up. Pulling out his bow, he jumped back and landed on a table.

He fired a shot and the Nord side-stepped it. Grabbing a nearby chair, he threw it at the vampire.

The Dunmer took the chair to the chest and collapsed.

Ollrod stood above him and raised the mace.

Feran kicked out his leg and got off the table. Running to a nearby statue, he pried off the spear in its grip and spun it.

"Bring it! You barely laid a hand on me yet!" he taunted.

Ollrod ran at him and they exchanged blows. The Nord had a noticeable smile on his face. Because unlike usual, he had a plan.

Grabbing the vampire's spear, he kicked him away and slammed it into the ground, point facing upwards.

The vampire leaped straight backwards, rising to meet the level above him. Landing in front of a pillar, he stopped when his opponent threw his chained weapons.

The axe wrapped tightly around his frame and tied him to the pillar behind him. Then the mace slammed into the ground and left him tethered to the point.

Feran laughed. "Nice idea, but you can't jump up here. So what's your next move?"

Ollrod pointed behind him. "Actually, it's her move."

The vampire's eyes widened and looked around the room. Then he saw Beleval aiming her bow at him.

"Boom" she murmured firing it.

The arrow sailed below his feet and exploded, cracking the pillar at its base. Then he toppled forward, falling to the floor below.

The vampire screamed in terror and slammed into the spear on the first floor, instantly punching through his body and the stone pillar, killing him quite effectively.

Ollrod sighed and turned to Beleval. He offered a friendly smile. "Nice shot."

She strung her bow onto her shoulder and gave him a hug. He stopped and she looked at him.

"Thanks for saving me. I appreciate it."

He chuckled and got a slight blush on his face. "Hey, it was nothing. I do stuff like this all the time."

She smiled and turned. "Well, if that's the case, then I think we got some more damsels in distress. Think you're up for it?"

"Always" he said grabbing his weapon from the dead vampire. "Just point me in the right direction."


	47. Chapter 47

Geir Osculates spun and slashed across Celann's face. Twirling his sword, he attempted a stab before his opponent backed up.

Blackwing flew in and slashed across the Dunmer's arm. Snarling, he tried to bat it away but it flew off before he could hit it.

Celann smiled until he heard a yell to his left.

He turned and saw that Firthi, Geri's girlfriend, was charging him with a large vase in her hands. She looked pretty pissed.

Celann dodged the attack and sighed. "Damn it. I'm fighting a girl. I don't know how to deal with this."

Geir snarled and grabbed his girlfriend by the wrist. "Don't get involved."

She slapped him across the face. "You idiot! It's two against one with you as the one! That damn bird is going to be pecking out your innards if this keeps up!"

The Vampire Lord growled. "How absurd. As if he could kill me with a straight sword and a bird."

"You are tough" said Celann breathing heavily. "I should've let you take my offer on dinner instead of rushing in. I think I got stuck with the best of the lot."

He stood. "But I hate to point this out. I'm holding back. I have ten dozen other moves to use that I haven't done yet. That bird is just the start of it."

He raised his arm. "Blackwing! Come here!"

The magical falcon flew at its owner and landed on his glove. Then it faded into speckles of purple light and vanished.

"What did he do with that thing?" asked Firthi.

Geir said nothing and just watched.

Celann crouched down and black feathers began to accumulate around his shoulder blades. They formed into large raven wings on his back, rising to nearly four feet long.

The spellsword stood and smiled. "Me and Blackwing are different from most conjurers and summons. He's a part of me, a creation that has bonded with its master. We can see out of the same eyes and hear the same things. It's truly incredible."

Geir narrowed his eyes. "How absurd."

Celann stopped and the Vampire Lord got a cocky grin. "A part of you? That thing is nowhere even close to being a complete part of you. Your magicka supplies are completely different. It's like trying to mix two colors and just making a dull grey."

He looked over at Firthi and extended a hand. "However, I can show you what being one means."

His girlfriend smiled and gripped his hand.

They both were enveloped in a gentle blue aura, covering their bodies. Then they began to change, just little details at a time.

When it had finished, Geir had black bone wings from his back, expanding outwards and flared out. His teeth were sharper and he had several lines running across his face like a set of bars. Firthi had a long tail that whipped behind her and sharp nails. Her hair was significantly longer and her grin was a lot more cynical.

"Behold a true combination" said the Vampire Lord putting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "We are one being, eternally bonded through our despair. Because of this sadness, we shared each other's memories and experiences to help us. Now we are one soul in two bodies."

He leaned in and gave Firthi a tender kiss on the lips. "Despite this, we are still two people with different personalities. This is because a combined soul cannot occupy one body. So while we share a connection, we must always remain separate. That is the only restriction."

Celann smiled. "That's quite a trick. I can only imagine how powerful you got from that."

"Technically this is my form as a Vampire Lord" explained Geir. "It spread to Firthi because of our connection."

He raised his sword. "However, I am still your opponent. You will not raise a hand to her body as long as I live."

"Fine by me. I wasn't going to hurt her anyway" said the spellsword fluffing his wings. "I don't like hurting women."

"Even so, I cannot be sure of her safety until I kill you. Please understand this."

Celann nodded. "I understand. But don't think I'll go easy on you!"

They flew at each other, using their respective wings to glide across the floor.

Their swords sparked against each other and Celann looked into his opponent's eyes. They were filled with resolve, but also a more somber feeling.

"_He truly wishes to kill me"_ thought the spellsword dodging his slice. _"That cold resolve and his grim determination. It's truly extraordinary."_

Geir slashed with his wings and cut a line into Celann's chest. Twirling his sword, he slashed into his sternum.

Suddenly a pink gust of energy shot from a corner of the room and smashed Celann into a wall.

Geir turned and glared at Firthi, who had fired the blast. "Knock it off. You can't get involved."

She scowled at him. "Screw you. I'll do what I want."

"You will listen to me!" he ordered sternly. "If I die, this guy could easily come after you! Save your strength!"

She pouted. "Fine."

Celann stood from the rubble of the wall, chuckling to himself.

"My oh my. That was an Alteration spell. Pretty high level stuff."

Geir nodded. "She is a rather skilled mage. She specializes in manipulation of earthly objects and gravity, as defined in the Alteration tree. Even I cannot grasp such high-level techniques."

He raised his sword and it burst into flames. "I can, however, understand the Destruction tree much more. It is a hobby of mine."

The Breton smiled and raised his sword. It instantly was covered in purple magicka and turned into a scimitar-like shape.

"Conjuration's my thing" explained Celann. "Kinda fun."

The vampire narrowed his eyes. "Good to know."

They flew at each other and began swinging their enhanced swords. They sparked and burned and generally made it hard to see who was swinging at what.

Celann threw Geir across the room and ran after him.

The vampire deflected the attack and smacked his foe away. Slashing rapidly, he managed to get the spellsword out of his hair.

The Dawnguard kicked and Geir flew backwards.

Celann appeared above him and smacked him into the floor. Gasping, the vampire took a sword straight to his chest.

He coughed blood and groaned in pain. The sword hadn't gotten anywhere major, but it had at least gotten into his intestines.

"Geir!" yelled Firthi running over to him.

"Stay back!" he snapped forcefully.

He punched his opponent and threw Celann off him. Ripping the sword out of his gut, he threw it away and stood up.

"Bastard. You're good" complimented the Aspect of Despair.

Celann flexed his hand and his magical sword returned to him. "Thank you. Your skin is a lot tougher than I imagined."

Geir suddenly stopped and looked around. "Firthi!" he yelled panicked. "Firthi! Where are you?!"

"Over here!" she spat leaning on a pillar. "Staying out of harm's range. Why? You worried about me?"

"Hush your mouth" ordered the Vampire Lord standing up. "I just got disoriented and I needed to know where you were."

He raised his sword. He was bleeding from the chest, but he didn't seem bothered. "Let us keep going."

Celann shrugged. "If you say so."

They connected swords again and Celann broke free first. Slashing his opponent in the chest, he began a rapid series of jabs into Geir's torso.

The Vampire Lord backed up and took a cut to the head. Collapsing onto his back, he stared up at his opponent, utterly defenseless.

"Go on" he ordered sternly.

Celann nodded, saddened at his statement, but knew he couldn't show mercy. So he raised his sword, but he felt something grip his leg.

He looked down and saw that Firthi had his ankle in her fist. Her entire body was glowing pink, as if she was charging up her spell.

"Got him Geir" she muttered. She looked completely ready to do whatever she was going to, as if she was at peace.

Geir's eyes widened. "No! Don't do that Firthi!"

She didn't listen. The spell exploded, causing a huge wave of magicka to envelop the area.

Celann was propelled backwards and landed in a smoking heap. Despite this, he wasn't dead or had a crippling injury. He stood uneasily, but he did stand.

Geir got up instantly and looked around. "Firthi! FIRTHI! Where are you!?"

He stopped and stared at what he saw. She was lying on her back, smoking. Her left arm was completely destroyed, but she still had that content smile.

"Firthi…" he murmured to himself. He looked away. "I…I am alone."

He raised his sword, but the look in his eyes had left him. They were blank now, as if his emotions had been drained out of his body. "Please…let's finish this."

Celann nodded. "As you wish."

They clashed swords, but the Dawnguard was surprised. Something felt different.

"_I no longer feel his resolve"_ noted the spellsword astonished. _"Why…why do I only feel sadness in his blade? Does he not wish to fight for his lover?"_

Celann easily disarmed him and stabbed him in the heart, directly punching through it.

Geir gasped, but didn't swear or do anything negative. Instead he clapped a hand on his opponent's back.

"Thank you. Now…I can join her. That was my promise to her so long ago."

Celann nodded in understanding.

The Aspect of Despair coughed blood, but still remained upright. "Would you please…lay me beside her? I want to see her face…one last time."

The Dawnguard nodded. "Of course."

He set Geir down gently beside Firthi's body and stood. He looked down at them in sadness, stunned to see two people so young die like this.

Geir looked at his lover and gently stroked her cheek. "Didn't I say that we would go out together? That was something I said when we first formed together."

He began to cry softly, but didn't falter with his hand. "I am sorry that I dragged you into my imperfect life. Becoming one with you was the only way I could escape my sorrow. But I realized that you had sorrow too. So we became one, because we understood each other. That is why we were able to form into one. That's the reason we were like this."

He smiled gently. "That's also the reason I loved you."

He coughed blood and looked at her sadly. "If tomorrow you were to become evil, and began killing my entire family, and from the same body you were killing my family you cried out, 'I love you!' I would still say that I loved you. For it does not matter what you are, because I know your soul was always good at heart."

Geir began to close his eyes, embracing the darkness. "I do not know what lies beyond death Firthi…but whatever it is…I am not afraid. Because…I go with you."

Then he closed his eyes and breathed his last.

Celann's wings dissipated into the wind and he sheathed his sword. Wiping a tear from his eyes, he began walking back into the palace.

"Farewell, lovers of despair" murmured the spellsword. "I hope you do not forgive me, when you reach paradise. For I was the monster, not you."


	48. Chapter 48

Florentius locked weapons with Dazen and stared into his enemy's eyes. The vampire was decaying rather curiously, but it seemed to be part of his technique. It was pretty weird

The priest leaped back and twirled his scepter. "Are all Vampire Lords capable of such a transformation?"

Dazen looked at one of his arms. The skin was turning to ash and disappearing, but still had plenty of skin underneath it. "Sort of. We all have different variants of transformations. It usually reflects our inner personalities and powers to some extent. Mine is relative to aging and death, an aspect of Stillness, and is shown through this transformation."

The vampire stopped. "I wonder…what do you think of other vampires Dawnguard?"

Florentius stopped. "You must be pretty bored to ask me that question. Why do you care?"

"The cycle of killing and hunting each other is an eternal one, yes. Even you must understand this. But when two opponents fight each other, they must do more than exchange blades. They must understand each other and respect one another. I know that you respect me, since your nature indicates it, but I want to know one final thing from you. So answer my question."

Florentius thought about it. "I do not find you repulsive, like most. I understand, you must feed on humans or succumb to madness. That's not your fault. But I cannot forgive you for hurting the innocent for your own hunger. At the very least, you should search for those who do not deserve to live. I would prefer immensely if you did so."

Dazen nodded. "Perfectly reasonable. For your information, I only feed on the scum of society for my hunger. The others…I cannot say. But to be honest, I'm not sure you are telling me everything."

He leaned in closer. "What are your opinions of Miss Serana?"

The priest stopped. "What sort of question is that?"

"You didn't answer me."

Florentius growled. "My opinions of Miss Serana you ask? She is…a close friend of mine. I care deeply for her."

Dazen nodded and rifled a hand through his decaying arm. "I cannot hold this form for long. Pretty soon I will rot away. But it is for that reason that this form is so formidable."

He raised his arm and pointed it to the Breton. "Allow me…to show you."

The ash of his rotting skin flew from his palm and began to travel to the priest.

Florentius leaped away, but not before a flesh of dust brushed on his robe.

The ash began to eat through his clothes and he panicked. Tossing off his robe, he was left without any clothing on his chest.

The priest breathed heavily and looked at himself. Seeing no flesh of his own smoking off, he decided he was safe.

"What…kind of technique is that?" he asked utterly astonished.

Dazen didn't gain any facial expression, but he definitely looked confident. "It is my top-level technique. The ultimate Stillness, the thing known as death. That is why you will never win this fight priest. I can utilize death itself in my attacks. Until you can control that sort of power, you will never be able to kill me."

Florentius stared at his opponent in horror, then he sighed. "I see."

He lowered his head. "It is true. My attacks do not involve death itself. I cannot claim to wield such a power."

He raised his head and gave a smile. "But I can claim to know that you are still a living breathing, and you can die. For that reason alone, I know I can kill you."

The Breton lifted his scepter. "I am low on magicka, so this is my last attack."

A bright ball of light appear at the tip of the wand, and then expanded onto his body. It formed over him like skin, forming into a bubble wrapping around his shoulders and chest. He glowed like a star, illuminating the room with his glory.

Dazen sighed. "Impressive."

Two wings appeared on his back, two large skeletal ones. The bones they were made of were brittle rotten ones and looked akin to bird wings.

"I must unveil my wings for your move. Its power must be great if my body is reacting like that" murmured the vampire.

He raised a hand and a ball of grey fog appeared in it. He gripped the ball of decay and looked at his opponent.

"Let's end this. I have grown tired of our match."

Florentius nodded and grinned. "Let's get going then."

They flew at each other, each wielding a different weapon. One based purely off of life, the other of utter death.

Florentius reached him first and sliced clean through his chest, cutting through his ribcage and the decaying flesh on his body.

Dazen collapsed, the ball of decay still in his hands. He crushed it and smiled.

"You didn't use your weapon" said the priest rather shocked.

"Yeah. I didn't want to fight anymore" said the vampire calmly. "I've grown tired of needless violence. Unlike the others, I prefer being still. There is a reason I am called what I am. I oppose things that are unnecessary and needless. This fighting…all of it…pointless. I hope you mortals can find peace with us creatures, since trying to kill one another is impossible. I long for peace, but my body demands rest."

He sank to the floor and gave a small grin. "I think…I'll just take a little rest. Good luck to you, noble priest of Arkay. And…may you help Serana in any way that you can."

* * *

Zoh swung at Fog and nearly cleaved him in half. Spinning his brother's battleax, he just brushed past his opponent's head.

"You're slow" commented the Aspect of Mystery blankly. "How could you possibly hope to kill Lord Harkon with this speed?"

"Shut up!" ordered the Orc raising both weapons.

The male vampire leaped back and got stabbed clean in the back.

He turned and back-handed Serana away.

"Stupid girl" he snarled throwing her dagger aside. "Try something different."

Isran suddenly appeared, his warhammer raised high.

"That's better."

He raised his fist and grabbed the Redguard by the shirt. Throwing him over his head, he turned just to see Zoh swinging his sword at him.

The vampire skipped backwards and felt his mask. It had a small line it, running underneath his nose.

"A potentially lethal blow. Impressive work."

The Orc snarled and began swinging again, using both of his weapons. Fog had no trouble dodging the attacks, since he was already light on his feet.

"Your sword is powerful, but the axe of your brother is rather weak" commented the Vampire Lord.

"How dare you insult my brother's weapon!?" yelled Zoh deeply offended.

He swung the axe just to prove his point, but then something happened.

Fog grabbed the axe in its arc and looked at it. He barely had to grab it and it didn't even hit his palm.

"Your brother's axe is sharp and its weight is solid. But it has no response to you. It is as if it doesn't like you."

He looked into the Orc's eyes and his own eyes were cold. "Perhaps you haven't figured out why?"

Zoh was snarling, but he knew the vampire was right. The axe wasn't nearly as powerful as his brother had made it, and he had no idea why.

"Well, I guess I should help you" said Fog raising his other hand. Then he raised it to the Orc's eyes and clamped two fingers over his temples.

Zoh gasped as a new feeling invaded his body. It was like a sudden cold had filled in his pores and was sinking into his blood. He felt like his body had been buried in snow.

"There…now you can confront what is in your heart" said Fog releasing the Orc and letting him fall backwards.

Zoh began to fade into black, wondering where he was going.

"_What…what is in my heart?"_ he thought before completely fading to nothing.


	49. Chapter 49

Zoh woke up to a cloudy sky.

He stood and glanced at his surroundings. He was in some odd place, somewhere that didn't look even close to familiar. It seemed as if he was in some ancient ruin, similar to the ones found throughout Skyrim. He was standing in between a collapsed statue and a series of pillars. He sniffed the air. It didn't smell like anything, as if the very air was blank.

"Is this…my heart?" he wondered. "Why is it so hollow and void? Or a better question: why is it so full of ruins?"

"That is a good question, Zoh-gro-Malok" said a voice from behind.

The Orc whirled around and saw that he was not alone. Standing on top of the ruined statue was a fellow man. This stranger wore a set of golden Dwemer armor that glistened in the limited light of the place. He held no weapons, but somehow appeared very dangerous.

"Who are you?" asked Zoh. He didn't think drawing his weapon was a good idea, since he wasn't sure what would happen.

The stranger jumped off the statue and landed without a sound. Standing tall, he took off his helmet.

The Dragonborn gasped. "F-Father?"

"No" answered the man simply. "The reason I resemble your father is that I am the being you wish to become. Why this is, I do not know. But I can answer you that I am a friend."

Zoh was still staring at him astonished. The stranger was an older Orc with battle scars all over his face. No matter how many times he looked back at him, he couldn't erase the striking image of his father from the man.

"Why…are you in my heart?"

"I am always in your heart" answered the stranger. "But…there is something else in your heart, isn't there?"

He reached out and touched Zoh right where his heart was. "If he is not out already, then you clearly don't know how to bring him out."

Then he plunged his hand into the Dragonborn's chest.

Zoh gasped and stared in horror. The hand had passed clean through his armor and was literally grasping his heart. It felt like dying.

The stranger ripped something from his chest and he flopped to the ground. Breathing heavily, he realized that he wasn't bleeding or dying.

The stranger lifted a small black object in his hand, covered in blood. "I believe that this was inside your heart as well."

Then he threw it onto the ground.

The ball exploded and turned into a thick liquid. It began to pool outwards, than formed itself into a solid-like shape. It traveled upwards and formed a barely definable leg, eventually rising to make a hip.

When the transformation was done, a tall man in Ebony armor stood from the pool of black. He too wore a helmet, but Zoh already knew who he was.

"No!" roared the Dragonborn. "That is not the image of him I carry in my heart!"

"What's the matter?" asked the man in Ebony armor lifting off his helmet, revealing his identity. As he did so, wings came from his back, expanding outwards like a perching bird.

Kah-gro-Malok grinned at his younger brother in his full Vampire Lord form and began laughing. "Are you afraid of me brother?"

Zoh stared at the memory of his dead brother. It couldn't be him. He had carried the image of Kah before he turned to the dark, the one he had lived with for as long as he could remember. This one was the false one, the one he could never accept.

"I do not remember you!" exclaimed Zoh. "You are not my brother! My brother did not turn to Vampirism and was not like you!"

Kah frowned. "But brother, don't you remember? He did turn to the dark. And unfortunately, he died. But now, I live on in his weapon and your heart."

He laughed and the Vampire transformation actually rippled, the horns on his head becoming larger. "Of course, I'm not exactly all Kah."

The stranger nodded. "It appears that you and your brother were progressively exposed to Vampirism during your fights. When you fight Jawil, he actually cut you multiple times. His scythe was designed to do that. And during your battle with Fog, he injected you with a concentrated shot. Your body would've convulsed and turned you into a Vampire if it hadn't shut down."

Zoh snarled. He was in a corner. Stuck in his own heart with his evil brother and a stranger. "So what can I do?"

"You must first let your brother's spirit become a part of you" explained the stranger. "It is rejecting your system, which is why his axe does not fight for you. If you do this, the Vampirism will never affect you."

"You've explained that pretty well" said Kah grinning. "But I have to ask, what are you? I don't remember you, unless you really are my father."

The stranger shook his head. "I am Zoh's inner Dragonborn spirit. Every Dragonborn, when he enters his true form, lets his inner spirit take over. I appear as a shining knight because that is the embodiment of what Zoh is."

"A knight in shining armor eh?" joked the elder Orc smiling maliciously. "You've raised your standards Zoh."

The younger Orc stood and looked at his brother. "I don't have time for this. I need your spirit to escape this place, so what do need to do to get it?"

"Simple little brother. Just defeat me" taunted Kah. He drew his battleax and spun it menacingly. "Or…are you too much of a pansy?"

Zoh snarled and drew his sword. "You are not my real brother. He never would've said something like that."

"If you keep talking like that, you'll never win!" yelled Kah running forward.

Zoh swung and their blades connected. Grunting, he made a rapid series of strikes.

Kah blocked and thrusted forward with the point of his axe. It smashed into his brother's head and sent him reeling.

Zoh snarled. _"His attacks are ceaseless and merciless. He swings it like a mighty wind and brings it slamming down with the force of a boulder. His spin and swing are graceful but powerful, one continuous motion."_

He blocked a strike to his head and backed up.

"_No matter how hard I try to deny it, my mind and body screams that this is the real Kah!"_

Kah had a cynical grin on his face, as if he was enjoying the fight. It was definitely an even match, since the injuries they shared were of similar levels.

"You got better brother!" complimented the elder. "I must say, your swings actually are hard to block!"

"Shut up!" ordered Zoh. "I already told you, you are not my brother!"

"Stop talking like that!" snapped Kah. He snarled and began swinging even faster. "Who do you think you are, saying who is your brother and who isn't? Like you even know who he was?! Huh?! Tell me, do you even understand what he went through?! You cling to this desperate idea that he was a noble warrior and he just turned dark! Well that's a load of shit!"

With that, he cleaved a mighty uppercut and plowed straight through Zoh's block. He sailed backwards and fell into a lower level of the ruin.

"You'll never be able to accept my spirit if you stay with your stupid ideals! Try to accept that there is more to this than you think!"

Zoh looked around dazed and realized he was in a different place. It looked like he was back inside the palace of Harkon, but something didn't look right. Everything was a dull grey, making it seem like it was far older than it was.

The room he was in was a small alcove that looked like a comfortable lounge. Standing in one corner was Kah, the real one. He still had the ashy skin of the Vampire, but he didn't look evil. He was staring out of the window, with a sad expression on his face.

Zoh reached out to touch him, but his fingers passed clean through his brother. It was as if he himself didn't exist where his brother was.

Someone walked into the room and he immediately made it obvious who he was. It was definitely Harkon, for the very air seemed to crumble around him. Even as a spirit, Zoh felt crushed by his power.

"Lord Kah, how are these conditions suiting you?" asked the Master Vampire Lord calmly. Despite his tone, there was a sly edge to his voice, as if he talked with blades.

"They are fine" answered the Orc vampire simply.

Harkon smirked. "So blunt, but what should I expect from an Orc? Now, we will have to discuss what will happen to your brother."

Kah turned quickly. "Leave him alone."

"Oh, so forceful. Remind me again, whose emblem is on your shirt?"

The Orc vampire bowed his head, obvious fear on his face. "Please…he is no problem. If you let me talk to him, I can convince him to go away and never bother you."

"A solid plan I'm sure. But I was debating on letting him join my little group. I mean, I'm sure the next casualty will be pretty close by."

"No. I do not want him to inherit this blood. He does not deserve it."

Harkon nodded. "Very well. But if you can't convince him, I want you to put him down."

Kah stopped and the grip on the windowsill became like iron. He actually began to bleed from his nails, but he kept a straight face.

"Understood…Lord Harkon."

The Master Vampire Lord grinned and turned. "Good bye then. I hope to see you again."

When he left the room, Kah smashed his bleeding hand into the window, shattering it.

"Brother…" murmured the elder Orc slightly in pain. "You better listen to your big brother. You have no idea what's in store for you here. Even you and I could never handle this. Harkon…he's just too powerful."

Zoh stared at the vision of his brother in shock. "He…was trying to protect me."

"That's right!" yelled the current version of Kah sprinting into the room. Just as quickly the scene disappeared and was replaced by the original ruin.

"He wanted you to be safe, but he couldn't tell you! But you didn't listen!"

"How was I supposed to know?!" retaliated the younger Orc. "I thought he had been brain-washed!"

"Idiot! You cling to this idea that he was a good man underneath, but yet you think he turned somehow!? Does that make any sense at all!?"

They collided again and Zoh snarled.

"I keep his former self in my heart, for that is the one I know the best! He was a good man, always caring for others and protecting the weak! My brother was not a vampire!"

"But he became one! That's what you're missing!" argued Kah smiling. "It's so simple! You just haven't accepted what happened to him!"

He grabbed Zoh by the shirt and threw him. Yet again he fell into a fissure, landing on a small platform below.

Zoh looked around and realized he was in another vision. This time, he was in a small room that looked like a dungeon. Inside of it were six people. Three of them were half-naked and lay on their knees, bound and tied to the position.

Behind them were three people, one of which was Kah. The others were the one known as Geir Osculates, who had obviously transformed judging by his bone wings. The other was Vingalmo, who had six spider-like arms bursting from his back. Kah himself was transformed as well, his wings curled around his shoulders.

"I…do not wish to do this" muttered the Orc nervously.

Vingalmo smirked. "Ah, never popped a cherry eh? It's fun. Let me show you how."

He leaned to one of the prisoners in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "First, you get a good solid grip."

He brushed the prisoner's hair to the side, revealing his neck. The man was utterly terrified and tried to squeak some words past his gag.

"Then, you bite."

Vingalmo plunged his fangs into the man's neck and the man screamed in agony. Then he slowly convulsed and sank into the Altmer's arms, his strength slowly fading away.

Vingalmo licked his lips and smiled. "Now, this is where it gets good."

Then he reached down to his former bite marks and ripped the flesh off the man's neck. The man was already dead, so he didn't feel a thing.

"Now you eat" taunted the Elf tearing open the throat and having blood pool below him. He basked in it, throwing his head back.

"Gods this feels better than any drug. No wonder Jawil kept so many prisoners. Glad he kept a few alive for us to get a snack."

Zoh looked ready to puke. Only a hand from Geir Osculates stopped him from flopping over.

"If you wish, there is a better way" said the teenage Vampire Lord calmly.

Vingalmo glared at him. "Oh yeah, the dull way. Gods, I'm leaving. I hate watching you do that."

The Aspect of Pride's six arms slid back into his back and he walked off, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his clothes.

Geir knelt to his prisoner and gently moved her hair from her neck. For some reason, he chose the female prisoner.

"While the first step is the same, you try to remain human when you do it" explained the Aspect of Despair.

He leaned close to her neck and slowly inserted his fangs. She gasped, but she wasn't in pain.

Slowly, the wings on his back encircled around her, seemingly in an embrace. She didn't move in protest, as if she was getting comforted by his actions.

When he finished, the wings were holding her in a loving embrace close to his chest. He put her body down softly and sighed.

"Now, this is the way I use to keep me a little bit human" stated Geir almost depressingly. "I prefer not becoming an animal, but I despise drawing blood. However, it really depends on who you are on the inside. If you wish to be the beast, then do it anyway you wish. Go all out."

He stood and the wings on his back folded back into his flesh. "Now I will leave alone to make your decision."

Geir walked off and Kah looked at his wings. Then his claws.

"What sort of god makes a being like us?" he murmured unbelieving. "We are capable of such cruelty, but also such despair."

He knelt down and bit into the final prisoner's neck, holding them gently in his arms. He wrapped his wings around him them and felt a few tears of his own slip.

"I apologize" he said withdrawing his fangs and letting their body fall. "I can only beg for your forgiveness in the afterlife, if there really is one. But I doubt that it is any worse than this reality. Goodbye, prisoner whose name I do not know, and thank you for your sacrifice."

He stood and the wings in his back folded themselves back into place. The gleam in his eyes disappeared and he wiped his lips.

"I will remain human" he decided walking away. "I will never let this darkness overtake me."

Zoh stared at his brother in awe. "You…really did not turn to the dark. You retained your humanity."

The image dissipated and the new Kah stood over his younger brother, looking down at him sullenly.

"Now do you understand? He never became dark. He was pure until the end" explained the elder Orc. "That is the spirit you could never accept, a vampire being good. The idea is ludicrous though. How can you be good when you must feast on a live being for your own hunger? That is truly impossible."

"No" objected Zoh standing up. He was dazed, imbalanced and hurt, but he still stood.

"My brother managed it. He was still as pure as snow, even though his blood ran black. That is what he showed me. I understand why he…why you are still the man I know."

Zoh spread his arms. "So go ahead brother. Kill me and finish what you wanted to do."

Kah nodded and swung his axe.

The black blade sank into his torso and split open his shoulder, but he felt nothing.

"Why…does your blade not hurt?" asked Zoh confused.

"It is because you accepted it" explained Kah leaning close to his brother. "You finally know what your brother really was, so how can blades you understand wound you?"

The axe disappeared into black smoke and felt the two brothers standing close to another, as if in an embrace.

"I always wanted you to survive" said Kah smiling. "You were the one who could become evil in order to survive, something I could never do. That is why you are the only one who can kill Harkon. And because I reside in your heart, you will never fall to the dark. I will always watch over you brother, for that's what the big brother does."

Kah began to disappear like his blade, fading into black smoke in the wind.

"When you fight, you will feel me right beside you, and it will be as if I never left. I will be the voice on your shoulder, always watching and guiding you. Good luck…little brother."

Then he utterly disappeared and Zoh was alone.

He cried quietly to himself and noticed he now held his brother's blade. It was still dark, but it now pulsed with him, like a part of his body.

"Brother…thank you" he whispered into the wind.

The stranger appeared, his golden armor glistening. He had a blank expression on his face, but the determination he had was a very prominent aura.

"You accepted your brother's spirit" stated the Dragonborn spirit. "Well done. You are ready to kill Harkon."

Zoh wiped his eyes and nodded. "Even though he is a part of me, I still hear him cry out for revenge. I will kill Harkon, for both of our sakes'."

The spirit nodded. "Good. Because you will have to do all that you can to kill him. Now, I think you've stayed here long enough."

Then the Dragonborn's vision faded to black and he collapsed.


	50. Chapter 50

Fog stood over Zoh's body, his daggers bloody. Both Isran and Serana were lying on the floor bleeding, and neither of them were moving.

"Disappointing. All of it. You all were so weak. If I can defeat you, you never would've stood a chance against Lord Harkon."

He raised his daggers. "But please, die."

"KREIN MIIN NORAK!" roared the Orc suddenly awake.

A blast of pure sunlight flew from his body and Fog leaped backwards. Sliding on the floor, he gave a sideways glance to Zoh.

The Dragonborn stood, his two weapons now confidently in his hands. Oddly enough, the light only went to his own sword, stopping on the right side of his body. A single wing came from his back, but looked utterly beautiful.

"Odd. Your transformation has changed. Does that mean..?"

Suddenly a black wing burst from his other side, looking like a tainted version of his original. Black magicka poured onto his arm and leg, turning the sky ashy. A horn grew from his head and curved inwards like a goat horn.

"How?" murmured Fog. "That was your brother's transformation. And you are not a vampire. How could you possibly be able to utilize his form?"

Zoh raised his brother's axe and raised it above his head.

"I can use more than just his form" he said ominously.

He swung and a black arc of magicka spewed from the blade, cutting through the stones in its wake.

Fog attempted to dodge, but it connected with his head, shattering the lower half of his mask.

He screamed in agony and grabbed at his lower jaw. He glared at Zoh, who promptly froze.

The mask still clung to everything from his nose upwards, but revealed his jaw. It was very smooth and youthful, almost like a woman's. The skin was as pale as marble and shined without any light. He appeared to be an Imperial of sorts, judging by his jawline and facial structure.

"Bastard" he spat taking steps backwards, holding his injured face. "No one breaks my mask."

Then he fell backwards and landed in the fountain of blood. One splash later and he was completely gone, not even a trace.

Zoh sighed and the wings disappeared, along with the aura of magicka.

"I must get to Harkon" he said slinging the two weapons onto his shoulders. He looked at Isran and Serana and sighed.

"Sorry my friends, but I hope someone will get you for me."

He sprinted to the door Fog had pointed out earlier and began running up the stairs. Oddly enough the place looked well-lit, as if darkness was not accepted in this tunnel.

"Why does Harkon have torches here? Doesn't he hate the light?"

He reached the top of the stairs and came to a door. Opening it, he realized rather quickly he was on the roof.

At the edge of the roof stood Harkon, holding a large golden scroll. He was reading it, but the most extraordinary part was what was going on. His hair was waving in a breeze that didn't exist, as if the incantation alone was doing it. His eyes glowed a deep yellow and sent chills up the Orc's spine.

Harkon turned and saw the scroll down on the table. "Ah, you finally arrived, Zoh-gro-Malok."

"I'm here to kill you" said Zoh raising his weapons.

"easy now. We can get to that nasty business later."

He lifted the scroll. "Know what this is?"

"The Elder Scroll."

"Well, an Elder Scroll. There are a few more after all. But this one is important. It does a ritual that, when done properly, well blot out the sun. All it needs now is Auriel's Bow."

He grinned. "And you brought it to me, right on time."

The Dragonborn swore and looked at the bow on his back. He had nearly forgotten about it by now.

"So be a good guy and hand it over" said Harkon extending a hand.

Zoh snarled. "Why would I do that?"

The Master Vampire Lord gave a grin that would've frozen boiling water. "Tell me, why wouldn't you? I am more powerful than you. You are nearly twenty yards from me…"

Suddenly he appeared in front of the Orc and put a hand on his chest.

"…and I can so easily touch your heart" he finished smiling.

Zoh gasped and leaped back and raised his weapons.

"You retreated" stated Harkon surprised. "Why would you do that? My hand wouldn't have punctured your chest, and I was in range of your weapons. Logically, the best move would've been to swing at me when I was so defenseless."

He opened his hands. "Look, I have not drawn my sword. You had the opportunity. Or is it that you are too afraid to take it?"

Zoh stopped, then he growled. "I am not afraid."

He raised both of his weapons. "I am not afraid of you, Harkon!"

He swung and they both fired different energies, one of light and the other of darkness.

Harkon raised his hand and the two energies actually cut into his palm, forming an X over it.

The Master Vampire Lord looked at his hand curiously and watched it bleed. "Impressive. Your Dragonborn powers are proceeding well. Just as I planned."

Zoh paused. "What? What do you mean planned?"

Harkon chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? Everything you have done so far, all the battles you fought, your increases in strength, were all because I planned them. You would be utterly nowhere if I hadn't stepped into your life. I knew who you were since you were born."

His grin increased. "Didn't you find any of it odd? First, your stronghold was destroyed when you and your brother were of age and ready to go out in the world, by vampires. Then you went out and didn't encounter a single Nordic ruin accessible to you, stalling your Dragonborn process. When you reached the Dawnguard stronghold, you were immediately attacked by vampires, proving your worth to the leaders. When you were sent to the Hall of Vigilantes, you encountered Jawil, your first Vampire Lord. You met Fog as well, indicating that there were more and giving me all sorts of information about you. Your order decided to go out and find new recruits, including Almono, who was the one who brought the scroll to get inside my palace. What if he, for example, was given the scroll? Then you went inside the Vale and met my daughter, who guided you to my palace. Isn't it odd how she was there, right when your group was lost? Then you fought your brother and finally activated your Dragonborn powers. Even then you went inside my palace and fought him again, further increasing your Dragonborn abilities. When your brother died, your inner powers exploded, as if a catalyst had been added. Just in time for your group to plan a real assault against me. And just then you fought Fog, who helped you bond with your brother's weapon."

He chuckled. "And now you stand here. Just as planned."

Zoh was staring at him utterly astonished, his hands shaking. "How…how..?"

"You underestimate my intellect? I am the head of a huge vampire clan. It really requires some intelligence to fully accomplish. But planning your growth was one of the most fun things I have ever experienced."

The Orc bowed his head. "Wait…"

"Think about it long enough and it'll all make sense. It's really not that…"

"Wait a second!" roared Zoh "How could you possibly be able to plan such a thing!? Do you have eyes everywhere!? What sort of thing are you planning!? Why do you care so much about me!?"

Harkon frowned. "That question is an easy one. You are a Dragonborn. Having you at my side would be the greatest thing I could accomplish to help me further my goals. After this, I still have to conquer the world with my clan. And seeing as that you killed all of my men, I'm going to need some fresh recruits. Maybe you can have the rest of your Dawnguard friends as servants."

Zoh snarled. "Like I would join you! Give me one good reason!"

"I can give you thousands of reasons. Immortality is the best one, and all the sub-benefits. Imagine the amount of things you could do with unlimited time. You can do any possible goal you hope to achieve in life. You could become the finest warrior in Skyirm, you could learn every spell that ever existed, you can obtain endless wealth. The possibilities are endless. But there are others. The power of being a Vampire Lord, the immunity. Hundreds of vampires would bow at your feet just by your presence."

Zoh stopped. "Is that…true?"

Harkon chuckled. "Completely. But trying to describe everything would take far too long. But I promise, I will make you my personal right-hand man."

He extended a hand. "Just hand me that bow."

The Orc paused and began to think critically. He was legitimately considering it.

A hand clamped onto his shoulder and immediately stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't listen to him Zoh" said Isran. He looked at him like an equal for once, with his eyes full of respect.

The Orc was surprised. He was just considering abandoning them, and now Isran himself was showing respect.

"It is alright to be afraid" stated the Redguard standing adjacent to him. "I understand. I myself am afraid of the man before us."

He let go of the Orc's shoulder and gripped his warhammer. "Zoh, we've known for a long time that only you can defeat Harkon. You are the only person who can fire that bow, and you are a Dragonborn. But it is idiotic to think you could do this all alone. I was far too arrogant to assume I could leave you to it."

Someone else joined them and smiled. It was Sorine, wielding her crossbow.

"We came here to help you handsome. It ain't right to do anything else."

Zoh turned and saw that the rest of the Dawnguard were there, every single one. They all looked damaged, but they stood tall.

"Your resolve may be weakened, but your desire to avenge your brother has always been enough" said Isran.

"We will act as your blade" stated Gunmar.

"We will be your anger" said Almono.

"And we will never back down until Harkon lays dead" finished Celann.

Zoh looked at his comrades, his resolve slowly returning to him.

Isran stepped forward. "We will distract Harkon for you, and get an opening for you to deal the blow."

Zoh nodded and kneeled down. He sheathed his melee weapons and drew Auriel's Bow. Putting an Elven arrow into the string, he raised it. Sunlight began to accumulate at the tip of it and slowly expanded.

"Make that opening" he ordered. "I do not know how long I can hold this arrow."

The Dawnguard began to assemble, and then Isran grinned at Harkon.

"Funny. I have never met you until this point, yet we're supposed to be huge enemies."

Harkon nodded. "May you speak your name first? It's polite for the guests to introduce themselves first anyway."

"Isran, Leader of the Dawnguard. The men and women behind me are the members of that faction."

"Lord Harkon of the Volkihar Clan. The people below us were once members of my clan, but you killed them all."

Isran shrugged. "Sorry?"

Harkon chuckled. "No apologies are needed. I have plenty of other worthy candidates for their replacement. Some of your men will suffice to replace a few of my personal circle, judging by how strong some of them are."

The leader of the Dawnguard laughed and the Master Vampire Lord stopped.

"What is so funny?"

"Well, it's funny because you really don't understand us Dawnguard. We never go back on our words, and we sure as shit don't sign up with the enemy."

Zoh flinched slightly, but kept his attention on his bow.

Isran raised his warhammer. "So let me tell you how this is going to work. We're going to kill you, then we're all going for a drink. I might even get laid that night."

"Good for you" complimented Harkon. "But I fear that you killing me is not in the plan. So unless you wish to run away you aren't going to be able to enjoy those drinks and the man/woman you are planning on sleeping with."

The Redguard looked at him curiously. "That was a really polite way to tell me that I'm probably going to die."

"I try to at least appear civilized before I kill someone, so they have a happier memory of me."

Almono stepped forward, his chest covered in loose bandages. He had his sword drawn and looked excited.

"Enough talk vampire. I came here for a great fight."

Harkon narrowed his eyes. "Ah, the little messenger I gave the scroll to. You served your purpose well. But considering that you killed two of my men, I think you have the highest casualty count among these enemies."

"Don't underestimate me" said Gunmar. "I got Aistra and Nephario."

"I really don't care who you killed. Those men, for the most part, were just puppets of mine. Any names they had were purely coincidental. But now I have two definite candidates. So does anyone else wish t ask for a position?"

"We aren't here for banter you asshole" taunted Sorine. "So either get moving or we'll kill you where you stand."

Harkon flicked his sleeves. "I see no point in trying to talk any further. Be grateful. I will not draw my sword until you manage to cut me first. So please begin and I will see how tough my men were, if you all managed to kill them."


	51. Chapter 51

Harkon back stepped and dodged the blade aimed at his neck, calmly moving. Blocking the strike with his forearm, he pushed his attacker back and stood still.

Beleval fired a shot and it sailed into his shoulder. It ricocheted clean off without so much as a dent in his clothes.

"He's wearing some kind of magical armor!" deduced Celann. "Normal attacks won't have any effect!"

"Good deduction spellsword. Your observation skills are truly admirable. That explains how you were able to defeat Geri Osculates."

The Breton smiled. "Funny. I thought you said you didn't remember their names."

"I never said that. I just said that most of their names were irrelevant to me. But Geir Osculates is a notable exception. He truly was a worthy example of a good vampire. In all my years, I never met a vampire who retained so much humanity. That is why he was one of my best soldiers, since he thought like a human."

Almono came swinging in, interrupting their conversation.

Harkon deflected the strike and pushed him back with a single hand.

"You interrupted me. That was incredibly rude."

The Dunmer grinned. "Sorry. I'm not much for politeness, ya know?"

Harkon nodded. "No need to explain. Being able to kill both Vingalmo and Yin'var is impressive. And yes, I remember their names too. Both of them were the toughest and most ruthless soldiers I possessed."

He looked around at the other Dawnguard. "Let us see. You all have at least one kill among you, except for that small child in the corner eating a snack."

"It's called pwetzels you douchebag!" yelled Frala from far away.

He ignored her. "I really was hoping to make this nomination process easier. Now I have to gauge each of your individual strengths so I know who really can replace my men. How tiresome."

Harkon adjusted his armor. "But I must do this. So get ready for a tough test for you all. Oh, and for the Dragonborn charging his so called 'trump card'."

He smiled and looked at the Dragonborn, who was still charging Auriel's Bow. The Orc stiffened but didn't let up.

"I will be waiting for your shot, when you deem it ready. I always love making a fight like this interesting."

"Well then we have something in common" said Isran gripping his warhammer. "I'm amazed you want to fight all 9 of us."

"Fight? I thought this was the warm-up for the fight" joked Harkon grinning.

"Same here" taunted Almono. "You move like a beached whale."

"You're annoying" said the Master Vampire Lord. He rolled up his sleeves and charged up a black ball of magicka.

"Disappear" he said throwing it at his feet.

The ball exploded in a huge shockwave and burned everything in its way.

Florentius flared his arms and a shield of sunlight appeared around the Dawnguard. The black magicka attempted to penetrate, but couldn't get past it. It dissipated into the air and the priest lowered the barrier.

"Thanks" said Isran.

"Don't mention it" replied Florentius adjusting his scepter.

Harkon scoffed. "Bloody annoying priests. I hate all of you."

The priest took a step forward and the Master Vampire Lord stopped.

"Oh? You are angry at me? What a surprise."

He grinned maliciously. "Are you here because you are a Dawnguard, or for some revenge I currently don't know about?"

Florentius growled. "You're right. I'm not here to kill you because I'm a Dawnguard. I came here to hack you to pieces, for my own personal reasons!"

Then he raised his scepter and fired a ball of sunlight.

Harkon countered with a shield of darkness, but something fired into his arm.

He turned and saw that Beleval had shot an arrow into his forearm.

She tugged a string and his arm whipped out, caught in her grasp.

"Shit" he murmured looking around.

Ollrod ran in and separated his weapon-staff. Spinning the chain, he wrapped it around Harkon's other arm and bound it.

Harkon was now unable to defend himself, baring his chest completely.

"Heh, so now they fire the shot" he mused to himself. "Good strategy."

Then he noticed that Florentius was sprinted at him, his scepter charged into a long sword.

"Well shit" he muttered to himself.

The priest roared in anger and stabbed into his chest.

The Master Vampire Lord gasped and fell forward, the sword burning into his ribcage.

There was a moment of pause, all of them staring at the downed vampire.

"We…won?" wondered Isran surprised.

Gunmar laughed loudly. "Holy crap we won!"

Ollrod turned to Celann. "Hey, we won man! You're buying the drinks!"

"Fine by me" said the spellsword grinning.

Zoh stared at the vampire's body, still in Florentius's grasp. Something wasn't right.

Frala tapped him on the shoulder and he turned. "What is it child?"

She pointed to Harkon. "Look closa Uncle Z."

The Dragonborn stared at the body, then his eyes widened.

"What in Oblivion are you all doing!?" roared the Orc lividly.

The Dawnguard stopped and looked at the body of Harkon. Only to realize what was actually there.

"Aunty Sewana" whispered Frala astonished.

Florentius stared in horror at her limp body, his illuminated scepter hilt-deep in her chest.

"What!?" roared Almono.

"How is that possible!?" yelled Isran.

He whirled around and saw that Harkon was sitting on the highest point on the roof, grinning madly.

"How did you do that!? She was downstairs, her wounds sealing themselves up when I was down there!" roared the leader of the Dawnguard.

"Let me tell you something. My daughter is made of similar compounds as my own body. She and I are constantly connected. It's only a simple matter to replace my body with hers in a substitution style of technique. I'm surprised you never thought I'd do that."

"Shut up! What kind of guy does that to his own daughter!?" demanded Almono joining in with the rage.

"It's so easy when you're evil" said Harkon grinning.

Florentius put Serana's body down gently and looked at her, horrified by his act.

She looked at him with blank eyes, slowly slipping away. "Florentius…why?"

The priest gripped his scepter and felt a tear slip from his eyes. He could feel her heart slowly fading and his own heartbeat in his chest. The wind was invading his skin and he felt truly and utterly cold.

Then he snapped.

"RAAAAGH!" he roared letting the sunlight cover his entire chest and limbs. His sword expanded outwards and formed into a huge claymore of light.

"Florentius!" yelled Celann running to him. "Control your anger!"

The priest ignored him, glaring at Harkon; he began sprinting towards him, trailing his sword into the ground. Even as he ran tears streamed down his face, the pain of what he had just witnessed etched into his mind.

The Master Vampire Lord gave a small smile. "You left yourself…wide open."

A sword slashed into Florentius's chest and stopped him dead. He collapsed to his knees and stared into space, bleeding profusely.

"Serana…" he gasped out before falling.

Harkon looked at his body blankly, his sword drawn. His blade looked evil and twisted, made of a red metal that was reminiscent of Ebony. It pulsated with a black pulse inside of it, like the heart of a demon was inside of his blade.

Almono ran in and swung his sword, hoping to avenge his comrade's defeat.

The Master Vampire Lord deflected it with his own sword and slashed into the Dunmer's stomach, sending him collapsing to the ground.

Isran and Ollrod came next and with two quick slashes were down.

Harkon began walking forward, his sword trailing their blood into the ground.

"I have had enough of games" he said slightly annoyed. "You all are incredibly annoying."

Beleval fired an arrow and he grabbed it mid-air. Scowling, he flicked his hand and fired it back with equal force, hitting her in the face and sending her to the ground.

Gunmar swung his axes and Harkon pushed his palm onto the man's forehead. Sweeping out his feet, he slammed the blacksmith into the roof hard enough to dislodge the stones.

Sorine began to throw a bomb, but the Master Vampire Lord gripped a stone nearby and threw it. It smashed into her head and sent her to the ground.

Celann raised his sword and sliced, an arc of purple magicka flaring from his sword.

Harkon reached out and gripped the arc of energy. Smiling, he threw it back at the spellsword, knocking him clean off his feet.

The Master Vampire Lord stood among the downed Dawnguard and grinned down at all of them. Looking up, he met the eyes of Zoh.

"So. Alone at last" commented the vampire coldly smiling.


	52. Chapter 52

Zoh stared in utter horror at Harkon. In under a minute he had downed all the remaining 8 of the Dawnguard. And he had fun the entire time!

His hands began to shake, even as the arrow in Auriel's Bow kept charging.

"I…I" he muttered. "I…can't fight that."

A small hand smacked him and he turned to look at Frala.

She was crying softly, but her face was full of anger. "How dare you Uncle Z?! All dose guys backed you up and suppoted you! And now you cwapping out on dem?! You came so faw Uncle Z! No one has evah gotten dis close to Hawkon! It's too late to tuwn back! Was Uncle Iswan, Aunty Sowine, and all the otha's sacwifice in vain?! They believed in you! They twusted you to defeat Hawkon! And now you're giving up?!"

Her crying turned to sobbing and she balled her fists. "How can you do dat Uncle Z!? Dat's not wight! You…damn coward!"

He stopped in surprise and she began to punch him, her hands barely hurting him. He sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I can't give up."

Frala looked up at him and he smiled at her. "But I can't let you get hurt child. So please back up. I need to finish it. For all those who sacrificed themselves before me."

She nodded and smiled at him. "Kick his ass Uncle Z!"

She ran off and Zoh turned to Harkon, a bold new look in his eyes.

"Harkon!" he yelled fiercely.

The Master Vampire Lord looked at him sideways and his eyes widened. The arrow was glowing almost white and looked mighty fearsome.

"Die!" roared Zoh firing the arrow.

The arrow of pure sunlight flew at Harkon and smashed into his chest, exploding violently.

For a brief second, a star was born on Tamriel.

Then it began to burn, baking the stones black and causing the air itself to become dry.

Zoh covered his eyes and the dry wind blasted around him, causing sweat to literally evaporate off his body. It was unimaginable in terms of heat.

The light began to fade and Harkon stepped from the blast. Despite the fact that he was walking, he looked injured.

His armor was melted off, lumping around his clothes, which were barely tatters. His skin on his right side was black and some of it was flaking away. His right eye was completely gone, replaced by what looked like a black stone. His sword was melted to an unusable shard of metal in his fist, which he promptly dropped.

"I…got him" muttered Zoh amazed. It really was a potent weapon.

Harkon snarled and looked at him in anger. "Are you proud Dragonborn? Proud that you managed to render my sword useless?"

He grasped at his face. "Or that you damaged my flesh and eye? Proud that you finally hurt me?"

He gritted his teeth so hard that they began to bleed from his gums.

"Stop being so full of yourself, you FUCKING MORTAL!" roared the Master Vampire Lord lividly.

He stopped and a line grew from his forehead, vertically splitting it. From the hole came a third eye, the same as the one remaining eye. It twitched and the new eyehole began to bleed black blood, forming a line down his face. Then his head snapped to the side, like his neck had been broken in two.

He arched his back and two wings burst from them, silver grey in color. They folded outwards and the black flesh on his body turned into stone, bursting forth as if they were a part of him. His face morphed considerably, growing huge fangs and pointed ears. He screamed and he grew a long tail, seemingly like a dragon.

"I see. This is truly unacceptable, isn't it Lord Molag Bal?" he asked blankly.

Harkon stood, his new body revealed.

"This is the original Vampire Lord transformation" he said snarling. "My own blood carries this form and alters it into other's bodies. How does it feel, being in the presence of a god-like being such as I?"

He sniggered. "I was blessed personally by Molag Bal, Lord of Domination! You can't even conceive the power I have in my fist! I am beyond mortal comprehension! I have truly ascended to god-hood!"

Zoh stood uneasily, having difficulty. It was as if the air itself had grown heavy around him just by Harkon's presence.

The Master Vampire Lord burst into maniacal laughter. "Having trouble? No doubt. My form is so powerful, the earth is having trouble even comprehending my existence! "

The Orc grunted and raised his bow. Charging up a second shot, he fired.

The arrow sailed at Harkon and sank into his flesh.

The Master Vampire Lord grunted and withdrew it. Even as hard as his skin was, it still bled.

"Amazing. That bow is able to hurt me, even in this form" noted Harkon. "But it matters little. That shot will be…"

He stopped when he saw something in the clouds above. It looked like the sun was beginning to peek through.

Harkon gasped. "No. No, it can't be! The incantation is designed to prevent this from happening until the Bow is ready!"

The sun cast onto him and he screamed in agony. His flesh began to burn and he collapsed to his knees.

Zoh looked around and saw that Serana was reaching out to him. Even having taken Florentius's scepter, she was still alive.

The Dragonborn ran to her and he kneeled beside her. "What is it?"

She grabbed one of his arrows and began to drag it to her wound. He tried to stop her, but she shook her head.

"It's not what you think" she said trialing the arrow into the wound. She grimaced, but managed to coat the end of the arrow in her blood.

"Fire that now. While he is weakened" she said handing it to him.

He nodded and stood up. Harkon was still thrashing in the sun, but he knew better than to assume he was going to die.

He notched the bloody arrow into the string and raised it. Instead of sunlight in the arrow, it glowed a curious red and black color.

The Master Vampire Lord spared a glance at him and stopped, even in his agony.

"You…" he began astonished.

Zoh fired the arrow and it flew at him, trailing darkness behind it.

It connected with his chest and sent him flying backwards, bleeding profusely from his chest. It was like he had been hit by a boulder, with a large burnt hole in his chest.

"Get him, now!" yelled Serana before coughing up from her wounds.

Zoh nodded and sprinted forward, roaring as he did so.

Harkon stared at him in wonder and they collided together. Then they were falling down, off the castle.

"You idiot now we're both going to die!" yelled the Master Vampire Lord angrily.

"No!" objected Zoh notching the bow. "Now, you die first!"

The bow charged up like it normally did, but this time, the sky above them opened up. The sun was right there, aiming straight down onto the two.

Harkon stared at the scene in awe. Zoh was falling with the sun as a backdrop, giving his head an angelic glow.

"_I am…being killed by a god"_ he thought astonished.

Then Zoh fired the arrow and it exploded violently.

A bolt of sunlight came from the sky and trailed with the arrow, arcing around Zoh and punching through Harkon's chest. He gasped and sailed even faster downwards, heading into the ocean.

The Orc finally gave way to unconsciousness and plummeted into the seas as well, both of them trailing into darkness.

* * *

The two washed up on the shore of a small rock near the castle, both of them barely alive. The sun was in the sky and shining brightly, with the clouds slowly fading away.

Harkon sat up, a massive wound in his chest. He no longer had the grey skin, but he still had the wings on his back, which were full of holes and burns. His middle eye was missing and most of his hair was burned away. He began crawling away from the beach, but something stopped him.

"No" ordered Zoh, who was lying on the beach beside him. "You aren't going anywhere."

The Master Vampire Lord tried to struggle against him, then collapsed and stopped.

The Dragonborn stood unsteadily and breathed a heavy sigh. Standing over Harkon, he drew his brother's axe and put it to the vampire's neck.

"It doesn't matter" said Harkon.

Zoh stopped and the vampire laughed.

"How can you honestly think this is the end!? More vampires will come along and feast on human blood, and humans will come and make the land red with our blood! That's the way it's been for hundreds of years! Trying to change that is like trying to hold back the sun from rising! Not even a god can prevent us from fighting! You proved it yourself by your actions!"

The Master Vampire Lord coughed and grunted at him. "But go ahead. I have no more purpose in this world. Perhaps that is the way the gods show mercy to us mortals. By giving us Daedra to take our souls, we get spared a pointless existence on this earth. If that's the way gods show mercy, then perhaps I should've aimed to kill the gods instead. Because no one deserves to serve under gods so cruel, mortal or vampire. I pity you, since you will live on and keep being reincarnated on this earth, with not a single purpose to define you. I will die and rest eternally in my Lord's embrace, even if it is an evil one. I will rest, while you will forever be bound to this earth. So go ahead, Dragonborn of Hatred."

Zoh nodded and raised his brother's axe.

"If gods are truly unkind, then now it is obvious how mankind became so" said the Orc grimly. "For only an unkind race could spawn such a hateful people."

Harkon laughed and coughed up blood. "That my boy…is the best thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you…for proving me right."

Then Zoh swung and ended the life of Lord Harkon, head of the Volkihar Clan.

The Orc sighed and looked up into the sky. "Brother…we have done it."

He put the axe back in its sheath and stopped to look at the body of Harkon.

"Maybe I was wrong though" he said blankly. "Not all humans are evil, as with the vampires. If the spawn of gods can be good, doesn't that mean some gods are good as well?"

He looked up at the sky again. "Or is it, that we have finally exceeded the gods?"

He shook his head. "No. We were always the children of the gods. And now we've finally grown up."

He sheathed his weapons and turned back to the castle. "I must make sure they are alright."

Then he stopped as his foot hit something. He looked down and saw that there was a book at his feet. It was a black leather book with a silver dragon emblazoned on it. He picked it up and studied it closely.

"To Zoh gro-Malok, Dragonborn of Hatred" he read from a small note on the first page.

He heard a chuckle and saw that there was something leaning on a rock nearby. It was a sword that looked like it was made of darkness. The very blade sent shivers down his heart. It appeared violent from where it stood, even at rest.

"Who could wield a blade so evil?" muttered the Orc.

The chuckle resumed and the sword melted into a liquid, handle included. It slowly shifted towards the ocean, sinking into the water.

"When you are ready Dragonborn, you will understand why I haven't spoken to you. I have to do things so indirectly because of who you are. But that book will answer all of your questions for me. I hope you can forgive me for my silence, but judging by our positions, we cannot hold grudges. After all, I am a Dragonborn as well."

Zoh looked at the mass, where he guessed the voice had originated from. "What? Who are the other Dragonborn? What do you actually look like?"

"I promise to tell you. In the meantime, you must be ready for anything. The dragons will return to kill us all. If you have questions even the book can't answer, then talk to my spy I have in the Dawnguard. You know him well."

Then the blob sank so far that it couldn't be seen and disappeared.


	53. Chapter 53

Zoh knelt on the front stairs of Fort Dawnguard, the dragon book in his hand. On his hips were his two weapons, which he hadn't used in a while. He had safely stored Auriel's Bow inside Fort Dawnguard, to prevent him from losing it, and hoped he would never have to use it. A bow was not a fitting weapon for a warrior.

"So the Dragonborn gain the ability to grow wings during times of stress and danger" he read. While he wasn't good at reading, he knew the basics at least.

"Studying up?" asked a familiar voice.

He turned and saw that Almono had his full battle-attire on, his sword on his back. Resting on his neck and head was Frala, who was beaming softly.

"Yeah. A little bird gave me this book" answered the Orc.

"You should not twust little bawds!" said Frala. "They make lots of noise and shit evewywha!"

Almono chuckled. "While you are correct little one, I think our friend is talking about something else."

He knelt down beside the Orc. "Dragonborn. I have to talk to you."

Zoh nodded. "I was guessing you were the spy."

"Ah, he told you eh?"

"Not exactly. I couldn't tell what 'he' was."

The Dunmer chuckled. "He does that. He's not exactly the most trusting person on this earth. But I can forgive that. Now, I am here to personally tell you something."

The Orc sat up. If this wandering swordsman was really the spy, then he knew something valuable he probably should listen to.

Almono adjusted his robe. "As a Dragonborn, I assume you know your destiny."

"Yeah. Defeating a giant black dragon sounds like fun, but when do I go?"

"Later. He still has a lot of work to do with the other Dragonborn. Some of them are not even ready to fight yet. But all we have to do is put the right circumstances in their way. Like you."

The Dunmer chuckled. "I mean, I did bring that teleporting scroll for a reason. I wouldn't take shit from a stranger unless I was sure it would benefit me."

"You mean your friend planned Harkon's plan?"

"No. He just knew that he would try something like that. My friend, well…Let's not talk about how much he knew Harkon."

Zoh shrugged. "Whatever. Now, what can I do to help now?"

Almono raised an eyebrow. "You're the first to ask how he personally could help. Well, there is something we need you to do."

He extended a hand upwards. "Frala, the map please."

"Which one?" she asked curiously.

"The one with the words Orc on it."

She nodded and drew a map from the folds of the Dunmer's robe. Handing it to him, she popped right back into place.

Almono handed it to the Dragonborn. "Inside this map are various locations of Nordic ruins that hold Words of Power. You will notice this list is incomplete. We need a guy to help us dialog the Words of Power and their locations. Not to mention writing them down in their proper Dragon tongue. While we have a decently-sized catalogue already, I believe that we can constantly improve. Does that sound so bad to you?"

"Well, I'm not great at handwriting, but I guess I can write slowly" said the Orc grabbing the map. "Where do you want me to write this stuff?"

"Ah, this book" replied the Dunmer handing him a small brown tome. "Just write the words and a basic description. Try to be thorough though. We have to give it to other Dragonborn for their reference after all."

Zoh nodded. "I will do so gladly. In between my vampire hunts of course."

"No need to disrupt the fun" grunted Almono understandingly. "But I gotta go elsewhere. Other Dragonborn need my help."

"I will miss your blade alongside mine" said the Orc. "And of course I will miss Frala."

"Dank you Uncle Z!" exclaimed the child bouncing on the Elf's head. "I will miss you too!"

The swordsman stood. "I gotta go. I've already said my goodbyes to the others. Have a good day, and may your blade never grow cold."

Then he walked off, carrying a child and a weapon.

* * *

Florentius woke up with an incredibly sore body. His chest burned as if he had rubbed salt in the wounds.

"Why…does it feel like this?" he grunted in the worst pain he had in ten years.

"My father's sword" answered Serana, who was sitting beside his bed. She wore her typical black hood and cloak, but now her face was exposed. On her stomach was a series of bandages that looked fresh. "It burrowed deep into your body and reacted with your anger. You suffered the worst injury because it was still fresh from its sheath."

He looked away from her. "My anger. How dishonorable of me."

She glanced at him blankly, her yellow eyes flashing. "Why were you angry?"

"Because I hurt you" he answered honestly, but refusing to make eye contact.

"Why did that anger you?" she inquired curiously.

"Innocents do not deserve to be involved in matters of bloodshed. The fact that you got involved to begin with is truly atrocious, but to actually have you hurt is another."

He looked at her mournfully. "I thought I killed you. My blade was meant for a vampire, and it hit a vampire."

She reached out and grabbed his hand, gently folding hers into it. She could see the pain on his face and it hurt her knowing that the pain was caused by her.

"I survived. I'm here. That's all that matters" she said rubbing his palm.

He smiled softly. "Thank you. But…"

She put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Hush. You need to rest."

He nodded. "I understand."

The priest leaned his head back and drifted off. Out of all the Dawnguard, he was definitely the most injured.

"So they're letting you stay?" asked a voice from behind.

She nodded. "Isran said that he wouldn't mind. After my injury, he thought that I deserved it."

"That's nice" said Fog walking from the shadows. He wore his mask and cloak, but the bottom half of his face was still exposed.

"I never thought the Dawnguard would go against their creed. No wonder they won. We kept our purity and we all died."

"You didn't" she pointed out blankly.

"Well it doesn't matter. I'm truly the last of the Volkihar Clan. Even that doesn't matter."

"Your revenge is the only thing that matters, right?" asked Serana.

He snarled. "I will make HIM pay."

She stood and turned to face him. "You don't have to be driven by hate to him. You can always abandon your hatred."

She walked over to him and stroked his face. He bristled slightly, but let her continue.

"After all, you let go of your hate when you were with me" she reminded moving closer to him, their lips nearly touching.

"That was a temporary indulgence" he protested turning his head, but not moving away from her. "I must not steer from my path. Until his blood lies on the ground and his sins atoned for, I cannot let anything else rule me."

He looked at Florentius, who was sleeping away. "Besides, that mortal is more fitting for you. He is gentle and caring."

He turned and threw his hood over his head. "A much better man than me."

Then Fog stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Serana sighed. "You were always like that. Disappearing without telling me where you would go. You're just like HIM in a way."


	54. Not a Chapter

**Now I think I speak for everyone in saying: About freaking time! This story took me forever to get on paper! Now, I know you came a long way, so this will act as a sort of springboard for the next few stories. Basically, this is a data center for any information on the Dragonborn story. **

* * *

**Je-Dal (The Professional)**

**Race: Argonian**

**Gender: Male**

**Occupation: Treasure Hunter**

**Relationships: Ewald (Partner), HIM (****Acquaintance)**

**Personality: Serious, cynical, observant**

**Weapons: Bow, Traps**

**Special Skills: High intelligence, great knowledge of ruins and traps**

* * *

**Averil (The Genius)**

**Race: Breton**

**Gender: Female**

**Occupation: Arch-Mage at College of Winterhold **

**Relationships: Onmund (Boyfriend), Corbett (Mentor), HIM (Acquaintance)**

**Personality: Kind, strong-willed, courageous **

**Weapons: Expert-level Destruction spells, Mastery of Shouts**

**Special Skills: Great natural proficiency in magic, extremely high intelligence **

* * *

**Odei (The Hound)**

**Race: Nord**

**Gender: Male**

**Occupation: Harbinger of the Companions**

**Relationships: Ria (Wife)**

**Personality: Loose, headstrong, joking**

**Weapons: Dual axes, Alcohol**

**Special Skills: Inversive Drinking Effect, Unorthodox Fighting Styles**

* * *

**Zoh gro-Malok (The Inquisitor)**

**Race: Orc**

**Gender: Male**

**Occupation: Dawnguard**

**Relationships: Kah (Deceased Brother), Almono (Acquaintance)**

**Personality: Blunt, aggressive, honorable**

**Weapons: Broadsword, Battleax, Auriel's Bow (limited usage)**

**Special Skills: Great strength, Vast proficiency with weapons**


End file.
